Plover seeks DNR grant to combat invasive plant in village pond

By Brandi Makuski

PLOVER — The Village of Plover is seeking state funding to help combat an invasive aquatic plant at Springville Pond.

The Village Board on Wednesday authorized staff to apply for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Surface Water Grant to help pay for treatment of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive plant that has become abundant on the east and west ends of the pond.

The work is part of an updated aquatic plant management plan the village adopted for Springville Pond in 2025.

Village Planner Karmen Anderson said the Springville Pond Management Committee recently reviewed and approved a proposal from Lake and Pond Solutions to chemically treat the watermilfoil. The treatment would use ProcellaCOR, an aquatic herbicide.

The village had originally planned to pay for the work itself.

“We were just going to pay for it, the village, but we thought, why not try to get grant assistance for this?” Anderson told the board.

The proposed project would include a survey before treatment, the treatment itself and another survey the following year to determine how effective it was. The grant would also help cover permitting costs and outreach to residents around Springville Pond.

Anderson said the village sent a newsletter to pond residents earlier this year and plans another before treatment, followed by additional information after the final survey.

The grant would cover 75% of eligible project costs, with the village responsible for the remaining 25%.

“With our draft budget, we would be asking for $12,000 in grant funding,” Anderson said. “So we would be paying around $4,000.”

That puts the preliminary project cost at about $16,000.

Trustee Al Haga said Springville Pond appeared to fare relatively well this summer compared with some previous years.

“This year it really didn’t look that bad,” Haga said. “I’ve seen it look worse.”

Haga said previous drawdowns and work on the dam have complicated efforts to manage the pond over the years.

“I think that all the work that we’ve done in the past has kind of went with it, and we kind of try and catch up now and get back to it,” he said.

The board unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the grant application. Final grant materials are expected to be submitted in November.