Wisconsin DNR: Marsh dredging project already on books

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is set to proceed with a marsh dredging project that Gov. Tony Evers had previously vetoed funding for.

The announcement came after Evers’ veto stopped a $70,000 Legislature-approved provision from funding a project to assist farmers and residents along the Manitowoc River.

Lawmakers previously said a veto without any promise of future funds would put more than 100 farmers and other residents at risk of annual flooding due to a river backup.

However, Wisconsin's DNR says the project was in the works for “months” and did not need the Legislature’s funds in the first place.

“As the Evers Administration had already worked to secure the necessary resources to move this project forward, Gov. Tony Evers last week rejected a last-minute effort by the Wisconsin State Legislature that would have changed the funding source for this project, opting instead to use existing state resources the administration had already spent months planning to use on the wetland project,” Wisconsin's DNR said in a statement.

DNR explicitly called the Legislature’s budget earmark “unnecessary,” claiming it was removed from the budget by Evers to ensure “available funding sources can be maximized for high-priority environmental management work.”

However, in his veto message, Evers only cited the Legislature’s decision to discontinue the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program as the basis of his veto, but did not mention continuing the dredging project through separate funds, as the DNR said.

Evers' veto immediately drew criticism from Calumet County locals, Fox 11 News reported.

Sen. Andre Jacque, R-New Franken, whose district encompasses the Brillion marsh, said credit for the project's resuming belonged to locals who pressured the DNR to continue the project after the governor’s veto.

“While it’s clear the Governor needed to save face once the public became aware of the impact of his political games, today’s announcement by the DNR proves how false, contradictory, and concocted both his veto message and his administration’s prior communications to legislators and residents regarding this project really were,” Jacque said in a statement.

Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, whose district also includes the marsh, agreed, saying “Any attempt by the Governor to now take credit for this project is disingenuous.”

The project is expected to begin with the help of a private contractor, with dredging to begin in 2026.