LETTER: It’s wrong to use Cedar Creek to fill a 13.2-acre private pond

To Ozaukee Press:

Cedar Creek is a 53-kilometer-long stream originating in Big Cedar Lake and emptying into the Milwaukee River. Its livelihood as a treasured Wisconsin resource is now in jeopardy.

The Cedarburg Town Board is scheduled to hear a proposal by Michael and Stacy Gauthier on Nov. 5 to rezone three parcels of agricultural land to construct a 13.2-acre pond on parcels to be combined by a certified survey map and joinder deed restriction agreement. The pond is for water skiing. The Town Board seems ready to accept the proposal.

There are several environmental and public use concerns.

The owners intend to fill the pond using a private well. However, most of the water will involve pumping approximately 50 million gallons of water over a nine-month period from nearby Cedar Creek. The DNR has already granted permission for the water withdrawal at a rate of two million gallons a day for 30 days. 

I have lived on Cedar Creek for 35 years. During summer months the creek can drop to a minimal depth. What is to stop the creek from going dry in the future? A dry Cedar Creek would be damaging for the Milwaukee River.

Because my home is located directly west of the proposed pond, I would like to know what protections will be in place to prevent downhill flooding during catastrophic rainfall such as we experienced in 2025. If such flooding occurs, who is responsible for cleaning up and monetary loss claims—the Town Board, the Gauthiers? 

Many residents own property within 1,000 feet of the proposed pond. Surely, the Town Board has a responsibility to those property owners rather than to one family wanting to water ski.

Finally, Cedar Creek is used by several communities for recreational and aesthetic purposes. If the Town Board grants this proposal, it will send the message to Wisconsin citizens that the common good is no longer important. 

Robert Chesney

Cedarburg