WAUPUN — The Harris Mill Pond dam has finally been repaired, allowing the City of Waupun to control the flow of water through the Rock River.
The Waupun Department of Public Works replaced the valve Thursday, after just over a year of being out of commission.
Work on the dam had been delayed for this long due to several factors, namely delivery of unique parts and weather.
Director of Public Works Jeff Daane reported to the City Council in September 2024 that they discovered the valve would no longer shut after having an inspector at the dam. They ordered a replacement valve system, but it did not arrive until winter had begun, by which time there was too much ice to work in the river.
Throughout the following spring and summer, the Rock River had enough water in the Mill Pond to make draining the valve gate impossible. Water was going over the dam even with the bypass valve removed until mid-August, at which point the Waupun DPW began preparations to place the new valve.
This week, the DPW brought out a crane and several trucks of equipment to Shaler Park. On Wednesday, the dam was prepped and pumps were set up to redirect the water out of the bypass valve and drain the river further—thus allowing the DPW to access the valve structure. The new valve gate was placed Thursday, with some more work planned for Friday.
Water remains low in the Mill Pond, with egrets and geese seeming to enjoy the low water as it provided new land that would be otherwise underwater.
This weekend is also the Protect Wisconsin Waterways annual Waupun Waterway Cleanup along the Rock River, starting at 8AM on Saturday, September 20.
Last year, residents and waterway cleanup volunteers were able to pull considerably more scrap items from the river due to the low water level in the upstream Rock River. If the river remains low through this weekend, they may be able to pull anything that was missed last year.
Additionally, Waupun’s newest outdoor sculpture—a piece titled “Eddies & Etchings” representing the path of the Rock River—will be unveiled at Harris Mill Park, located between the park pavilion and Rock River. This sculpture was purchased through a grant from Protect Wisconsin Waterways as an educational tool to teach people about how rivers work. The unveiling will kick off the waterway cleanup effort at 8AM.
