Fountain Lake dredging underway

The Fountain Lake dredging program is underway, the Shell Rock River Watershed District said.

The District’s Board of Managers has approved a $7.7 million contract with J.F. Brennan Co. for the third and final phase of sediment removal on Fountain Lake.

In recent weeks, crews were on-site installing pipe for the dredging project. The pipe system moves a mixture of water and lake sediment from the dredging equipment to a disposal site north of Interstate 90. Pumps help keep the material flowing through the pipeline, which is placed both in the water and on land.

According to the District, this process removes phosphorus-rich sediment from the lake bottom, helping improve water quality and reduce internal phosphorus loading.

The material removed from the lake will be pumped to a dewatering site, where water is separated and eventually returned to Fountain Lake. The disposal area includes three engineered cells spanning more than 100 acres and can hold over millions of cubic yards of sediment.

Sediment removal will start in Bancroft Bay and continue throughout the 2026 construction season. Work in East Main Bay is scheduled for the 2027 season.