Information for New Cedar Lake Residents

Below is helpful information for those residents new, or not so new, to Cedar Lake Wisconsin.

Welcome to Cedar Lake!
On behalf of the Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District, welcome to Cedar Lake. This page on our website is provided to new Cedar Lake residents and Cedar Lake lakeshore owners. Of course, it also contains information all Cedar Lake residents may find useful. It is meant to provide you with information that will help you enjoy the lake and help keep it as clean and healthy as possible.

The Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District is in place to help with the protection and rehabilitation of Cedar Lake and is governed by Wisconsin Statute 33. Our website, www.cedarlake-wi.org contains a great deal of information about the district and its history, as well as minutes from our monthly and annual meetings, various lake studies, and our Lake Management Plan. On the homepage of our website, you can also enter your e-mail address to receive our e-mail newsletter. We periodically publish a newsletter which will be mailed to you. Previous issues are also available on the website.

The Lake District Board typically meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month. The meetings are usually held at Alden Town Hall (183 155th Street, Star Prairie, WI) at 5:30 PM. Some summer meetings are held at the McMurtry Preserve near Cedar Lake and at times are held via Zoom. These meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. The agenda posted on the website will show where the meeting will be held and if by Zoom, how to participate in the meeting if you wish. In addition, there is an annual meeting for all lake owners/residents.  It is normally held on the first Saturday of August at the Town of Star Prairie town hall. Please see the website for additional information which is posted shortly before the meeting.

We hope the information on this page will help you become familiar with Cedar Lake and all it has to offer, as well as good environmental practices to help keep it clean and healthy. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact one of our district commissioners. Their e-mail addresses and phone numbers are on the website.

Once again, welcome to Cedar Lake!
Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District Commissioners.

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• Here is a link to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s). If you have additional questions, just send us an e-mail at district@cedarlakewi.org.
• Newsletters – if you’d like to see previously mailed newsletters or e-mails newsletters, they are all available here.
• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and UW-Stevens Point Extension office both have numerous publications and pages related to best practices for lakeshore living, plantings and environmental practices.
  • Here are just a few of their resources:
    • Commissioner Candidate and Election Process
    • Protecting Your Waterfront Investment
    • A Guide to Environmentally Sound Lakeshore Ownership
    • A Shoreland Maintenance Checklist
    • Wisconsin Healthy Lakes

Septic systems
Correct installation and operation of Septic Tanks is each landowner’s responsibility. A State Sanitary Permit is required for the installation of a “private on-site wastewater treatment system” (POWTS). A County Sanitary Permit is required for the repair, reconnection or rejuvenation of a POWTS or for the installation of a non-plumbing sanitation (i.e. privy, composting toilet, etc.)

A Sanitary Permit is required prior to obtaining a building permit from Town Staff. A Sanitary Permit may only be submitted by a licensed plumber. Staff will conduct at least one inspection for all work requiring a sanitary permit. In addition, the proper maintenance of a POWTS is essential to ensure the longevity of your private sewage system and to avoid premature failure. When obtaining a Sanitary permit you are required to submit a signed agreement indicating that as the property owner you will maintain your septic system properly and report this maintenance to the Community Development Office. Septic systems are required to be properly inspected or pumped every 3 years. Inspections may be conducted by a master plumber, POWTS inspector, septage servicing operator, or POWTS maintainer. Click here for more information on St Croix County information and here for Polk County information.

• Private Wells. Like septic systems, proper maintenance of a water well is important. The Wisconsin DNR has many resources on wells and getting your well water tested. They can be found here.
• Safe Boating Practices Each and every boat operator should be familiar with all Wisconsin boating regulations. There are specific age requirements, personal floatation device (PFD) requirements and safe operational rules that must be obeyed for everyone’s safe enjoyment of the lake.
• There are several organizations that help play an important role in the health of Cedar Lake. We encourage you to become familiar with them and become active in those that interest you.
  • These include:
    • Polk County Association of Lakes and Rivers (PCALR)
    • Star Prairie Land Preservation Trust
    • Star Prairie Fish and Game
    • Fish Identifier for fish commonly found in Wisconsin waters.