About 40 people toured the Festge Spring Complex on April 25, where nearly 30 cold springs supply about half the flow to the upper reaches of Black Earth Creek.

Stakeholders are proposing a new groundwater study of the Black Earth Creek watershed to look at how development affects the springs that keep the creek cold. The estimated cost is $271,100, and funding beyond USGS's $53,420 is still needed.

Phase 1 of the 480-acre Marchstone Development is underway in Cross Plains, with no excessive sediment seen so far. Phase 2, which includes a proposed golf course, is still in planning.

Cross Plains trustees kept the 150-foot hillside buffer but exempted 17 lots near the proposed Marchstone golf course. BECWA and Trout Unlimited had opposed the change.

Update about the Cross Plains hillside protection ordinance changes.

The Village of Cross Plains will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to its Hillside Overlay Ordinance, which protects bluffs from development.

A 480-acre development proposed near Cross Plains has been advancing through approvals, raising concerns about its potential impact on the Festge Springs Complex and the cold-water trout fishery it feeds in Black Earth Creek.