WALDO, Wisc. — Waldo, Wisconsin is a village of only about 500 people. One of its main attractions is the nearly 170-year-old Onion River Dam and millpond.
That same land that’s brought people together recreationally for generations is now dividing the community.
On the November 5 ballot, residents must vote to keep or remove it.
“I would sure hate to see this leave,” said Village Board President Gary Dekker. “It’s one of the few reasons people want to come to Waldo.
Dekker grew up not far from the pond. He said the dam is a sentimental place for him.
“There are people who are down here canoeing, kayaking, fishing,” Dekker noted, looking out onto the water from the bench he installed near the bank in honor of his father.
Right now, the dam is not up to the DNR code and is considered to have “a significant hazard rating.”
I spoke with Waldo Dam engineer Adam Schneider, who said that if the dam stays, the village must modify the structure so more water can pass through.
Watch: Waldo divided over Onion River Dam:
That would require residents to shell out an estimated $350,000 over the next 20 years.
“We have no reason for a pond other than our attachments to the view, our attachments to the fact that we have a pond,” remarked Jack Parrish, Waldo resident and president of the local Pond Improvement Association.
Although it’s a group dedicated to maintaining the pond and the surrounding park, he’s in favor of removing it for environmental reasons — higher water quality and more fish passage.
“My dollars I would prefer not spent on the dam,” Parrish said. “I do think everyone’s best scenario for long-term is to restore the habitat to what it once was - a river running through.”
If the village receives a grant to remove the dam, residents would likely pay for land rehabilitation.
But Dekker still isn’t convinced that’s the way to go.
“It’s probably going to be a swamp after a while,” he said. “I’m sure if you lived by a body of water like this, you wouldn’t want it to go away either.”
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