Tug Lake District
Working together for a clean, healthy Tug Lake.
Update Your Contact Information
Help the District reach you about meetings, the Lake Management Plan, and news about the lake. Use the form to update your contact information or ask the District to follow up with you.
Next Meeting
Board of Commissioners
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Basement Community Room, Incredible Bank, 3210 E Main St, Merrill
You may also join online. The link is on the meeting notice, posted under Meetings and Records.
All meetings are open to the public. See Meetings and Records for agendas, minutes, and the full schedule.
Who We Are
The Tug Lake District is a local unit of government that protects and improves Tug Lake in the Town of Rock Falls, Lincoln County. Wisconsin law allows lake property owners to form a district like ours under Chapter 33 of the state statutes. The Tug Lake District was formed in March 2021.
The people who own property or vote within the District run it. They meet each year at the Annual Meeting to approve the budget and elect commissioners. A five-member Board of Commissioners manages the District between meetings.
Our Mission
The Tug Lake District protects and improves Tug Lake. We study the lake, plan with the community, and act on what the science shows and our community decides.
Our Vision
A clean, healthy, and resilient Tug Lake that is safe for recreation, sustains its fish and wildlife, and is cared for by a connected lake community, for present and future generations.
The Challenge
Tug Lake has a recurring problem with blue-green algae blooms. Some of these blooms make a toxin that can harm the liver. The blooms feed on phosphorus, a nutrient. Some phosphorus washes in from the land around the lake. Some comes from the lake bottom. Each summer the deep water runs out of oxygen, and the mud on the bottom releases phosphorus it has stored. How much comes from each source is still being studied.
Years of testing by volunteers, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and consulting scientists have made the problem clear. The details and the numbers are on our Lake Health page.
What We Are Working Toward
The draft Lake Management Plan sets five goals.
- 01
Cleaner water. Fewer, shorter, and milder algae blooms, so the lake is safer for swimming, boating, and fishing.
- 02
Healthy shorelines. Protect natural shoreline and restore shoreline that has been damaged, for the water, the fish, and the wildlife.
- 03
Fewer invasive species. Keep new invasive plants and animals out, and contain the ones already here.
- 04
Measure and adjust. Keep testing the lake, and change course when the results say so.
- 05
A strong District. Leaders, records, volunteers, partners, and communication that will carry the work past any one person.
What Makes This Hard
Phosphorus stored in the lake bottom can keep feeding blooms for years, even if less washes in from the land. Treating it would take careful study, permits, and public approval. A state grant would help the District pay for any treatment, if the District chooses to go ahead.
Watershed runoff is a second challenge. Much of the land draining into Tug Lake is privately owned, so reducing that source depends on owners who choose to take part.
What Success Looks Like
Success means fewer and shorter algae blooms, toxin readings that stay below swimming advisory levels, and a lake community that understands the science and stays involved.
Where Things Stand
- 1
Annual Meeting, August 29, 2026. Electors re-elected John Greenwood as a commissioner for the 2026 to 2029 term. They adopted Resolution 2026-01, the fiscal year 2027 budget: $23,700 in spending, paid for by a $14,950 property tax levy and $8,750 of District funds on hand. The Board of Commissioners met during a recess of the Annual Meeting. It chose Todd Nicklaus as Chairperson, John Greenwood as Secretary, and Don Olson as Treasurer. It also adopted Resolution 2026-02, which plans for Don Olson's resignation as Commissioner and Treasurer on April 1, 2027, and names Dave Klecka Deputy Treasurer while he trains. The minutes of both meetings are posted on the Meetings and Records page.
- 2
Lake Management Plan. A draft plan is being revised. The resident survey closed October 30, 2026, and its results go to the Board of Commissioners on November 4.
Current Lake Conditions
Live buoy data, blue-green algae safety information, and water quality measurements are updated regularly on the Lake Health page.
View Lake HealthPage last updated: October 30, 2026.