WPVGA works with government and environmental groups to enhance the Little Plover River watershed
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project (LPRWEP) is a multi-party collaboration convened by the Village of Plover and the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) to improve the health of the Little Plover River and the quality of life of the surrounding community.
The LPRWEP aims to use best available data and voluntary conservation actions to achieve the following goals:
- Increase the flow and improve the aquatic health of the Little Plover River
- Improve surface and groundwater connections and water retention across the Little Plover River watershed
- Alleviate storm-water-driven flooding
- Improve and expand fish and wildlife habitat and public recreation opportunities and access
“The WPVGA fully supports the Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project because it is the right thing to do,” states Tamas Houlihan, executive director of the WPVGA.
“The project is important because the Little Plover River is an outstanding water resource located within the heart of a major potato and vegetable production area,” he adds, “and the WPVGA is happy to collaborate with all stakeholders to maintain and improve this watershed.”
“We have been working on issues related to the Little Plover River for many years,” Houlihan stresses, “and in April of 2017, the Water Task Force [developed by the WPVGA to support the sustainable use of water resources] approved a funding request from the Village of Plover for approximately $64,000.”
The money helped launch the project and is being used to collaborate with the following partners: Village of Plover; the Wisconsin Wetlands Association; Montgomery & Associates; DeWitt, Ross & Stevens; the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR); the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Wisconsin Wildlife Federation; and others.
