A two-year draw-down of the millpond at the Forestville dam was given the go-ahead by the Door County Board during its regular meeting Tuesday morning. The vote was 15 to 4 with one abstention. The recommendation of a draw-down was seen as the best option for dealing with the problem of decomposing plant life and sediments that are purging the oxygen and slowly killing the small body of water and some of the animals that use it. The plan, as recommended, would take the water level down slowly to the point where the sediments could harden the first year. The water would then be returned to its previous level in the second year. A citizens group, consisting of land owners near the flowage or around the dam and others, objected to the proposal citing the length of the project, health, safety and water issues, the loss of recreational opportunities, the impact to the environment, and lower property values. They asked that the plan be put on hold, while the DNR conducted a study. Discussions about what to do with the millpond at the Forestville dam have been going on for years. In fact, a study on the subject was issued more than 20 years ago. That document also called for a draw down.
