The A look out on the Manawa Mill Pond Dam more than a year after the dam broke last July. July 11, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANAWA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s now been over a year since the Manawa Mill Pond Dam eroded, flooding homes and draining the mill pond.
At the beginning of this month, the state left Manawa’s request for funds to rebuild the dam out of the next state budget, putting restoration plans on hold.
“That drops off, and if you’re on your riding lawn mower? That won’t be good,” said Harley Linjer, who has lived along the Manawa Mill Pond for years.
He even docked his boats right in his backyard in the summer.
“I got some neighbors that are old, and they’d come down here and fish every day. And, well, you aren’t fishing down here no more,” he joked.
Rick Zemple owns a bait shop mere blocks away from the Little Wolf River, which opened a month before the dam broke.
“I opened up a bait shop and as luck would have it, our lake disappeared. Back to a river,” he said.
Zemple continued, “It’s been a staple here in town forever, so it’s kind of difficult for me — not only as a business owner, but I’ve fished that lake my whole life too. I’m really hoping that we can get it restored at some point.”
The news that the state budget left out the city’s request for the $8.4 million dam restoration project hit hard for residents, including Linjer.
“I honestly thought that the governor would provide the money, I really did. And I think a lot of other people did too,” he said.
Mayor Mike Frazier thought the same, and said the city is actively looking for other avenues to fund the rebuild.
“They are looking into see if we can, under the infrastructure area, be able to get some funds from there, but that, we heard, may not be able to apply for until March of next year,” Frazier explained.
But Linjer said there’s some contention on whether the dam should return.
“I would love to see this rebuilt. There’s a lot of people that do. And of course, there’s a lot of people that don’t. Because, what happens? Taxes,” Linjer said.
Zemple told us he’d be more than willing to pay his share.
“I think the consensus is that they’d be willing to pay more. But how much is the question, you know?” he said.
With or without state funds, many Manawa residents are eager to return the dam to its former glory.
Residents also put together a fund for donations to help fund the dam rebuild. Details on where to donate are below:
Make check payable to: City of Manawa
Put ‘Manawa Dam Donation’ on the memo.
Mail to: Premier Community Bank, PO Box 308, Manawa, WI 54949
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