Save Cedar Creek

02/25/2026

Do you have images or videos of the Save Cedar Creek movement?

For example: meetings, social get-togethers, events, screenshots, people in Save Cedar Creek gear, docs, signs in your yard, emails, etc….

Please send to [email protected]

Or via FB messenger.

We have a Hollywood Documentary Filmmaker who has begun work on telling our shared story.

The big question is “How will this story end?”

❌ Make no mistake, this is not over. ❌

The petitioner made it clear at the last Town Board meeting they did not accept the Town Board’s zoning authority and immediately began work on their property, including digging a high capacity well.
(Initially drilling in the wrong location, putting local neighborhood wells at risk)

While numerous local and state officials have stated that the Ski Lake project cannot move forward without Town Zoning Approval, legal issues are likely.

Alternatively, it’s possible the petitioner comes to their senses and submits a less dangerous development plan without a 50M gallon ski lake.

Something that is in alignment with the character of our town and the town plan, which clearly stipulates that their property is designated for light ag and residential.

Either way, there is a story to tell.

Deadline to submit images or videos is March 4th. All submissions are welcome.

02/24/2026

Updates on the Well Intel water quality and level system + No Ski Ordinance sometime in the first week of March. 🙏❤️💦

02/18/2026

🚨 We have receipts.

In a newly obtained email exchange between the Wisconsin DNR and the Gauthiers’ private consultant, two things stand out.

One: the DNR is asking the applicant’s hired consultant to tell them what their own agency did.

Shouldn’t Wisconsin’s water watchdog be checking their own records?

Two: the Gauthiers’ consultant explicitly outlines plans to build houses around the lake.

Yet on November 5th, when the Town Board asked Mike Gauthier directly about long-term plans for the property, he told the Town Board he “had not thought about his plans for the property long-term.”

The email tells a very different story.

This was never just a backyard hobby project. The real plan is a lakefront housing development built on millions of gallons extracted from Cedar Creek and our local aquifers.

Wisconsin deserves better. Cedar Creek deserves better.

02/16/2026

We’re taking the next step to protect our water.

Save Cedar Creek is working toward a partnership with Well Intel to deploy advanced monitoring technology that tracks well levels and water quality in real time.

By establishing a clear baseline now, our community will have accurate data to help safeguard local wells and document any changes moving forward.

This effort is about transparency, science, and protecting the long-term health of our groundwater.

More details — including how residents can participate — will be shared soon. We are working to create a "package" that is appropriate for our community.

We would likely need somewhere between 10-20 households to participate that surround the Gauthier property.

This would ensure we have clear data, and "smoking gun" recourse if anyone in our community experiences issues with their water.

Stay informed. Stay involved. Together, we protect Cedar Creek.

02/15/2026

UPDATE: The No Ski Lake Ordinance has been rescheduled for March 18. We see this as a positive step.

Good policy takes time, and we appreciate the Town Board continuing to listen to residents.

Here’s how to stay involved: Share the message. Talk with family and friends. Review the information on our page and website.

If each of us brings just one new person to the March 18 meeting, we’ll show up strong.

Together, we will protect the Town of Cedarburg, our creek, and our well water.

02/14/2026

A Valentine to Save Cedar Creek

This Valentine’s Day, our hearts belong to you,

Not the romantic kind, but something strong and true.

To neighbors we’d never met before last fall,

Who showed up at meetings, who answered the call.

To grandparents worried about the water we’d lose,

To young families who fought for the creek we all use.

We were strangers connected by a single fear,

That the place we love might just disappear.

But fear turned to action, and action to fight,

And somewhere along the way, we made it right.

The Town Board heard us, they upheld the law,

Protecting what’s sacred, they saw what we saw.

That Cedar Creek flows through more than just land,

It flows through our hearts, through where we all stand.

We packed every meeting, we rallied online,

We reached 1.9 million people, one post at a time.

We learned about aquifers, eagles in flight,

About dragonflies and bats and fighting what’s right.

But mostly we learned what a community can be,

How we protect one another, how we set our creek free.

This Valentine’s Day, here’s what fills us with love:

When it mattered the most, we rose above.

We came together, we stayed together, we won together strong,

And we’ll watch over Cedar Creek together, all along.

Forever and ever, through whatever may come,

This creek, this fight, this family, we are one.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Save Cedar Creek family.

This victory is ours.

This crick is ours.

This bond is ours.

💙🌊

02/14/2026

Stay totally stoked this weekend.

Chill. Be still. Get out and enjoy the creek!

The Town Board DENIED the Gauthier Ski Lake.

Enjoy this moment and Boost your Stoke!

🙏❤️💦☮️🐬

02/13/2026

Big tech is flooding Wisconsin with AI data centers to drain and damage our water resources, while their massive energy consumption will jack up your electric bill. . .

Unless Wisconsin enacts legislation to regulate them.

State Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin introduced bipartisan legislation to regulate data centers, and Republicans are giving it a hearing.

This is exactly the kind of cooperation Wisconsin needs.

My electric bill jumped 30% this year.

With data centers expanding across Wisconsin with zero regulation, those costs will keep climbing while our water resources disappear.

Here’s the deal: The Senate session is closing soon.

If we don’t act now, it could be years before we get another shot at regulating these AI data centers.

Years of them draining our water and driving up our energy costs with zero accountability.

This is a real win-win for both parties. Clean water and affordable electricity aren’t partisan issues.

If everyone in Wisconsin took five minutes to call their state senator and ask them to support this bill (or a revised version that meets the needs of everyone in Wisconsin), we could protect our families and communities before it’s too late.

Republicans and Democrats both need clean water.

Nobody wants their energy bill climbing every month.

This is one of those rare chances where both sides can come together and actually get something done that helps everyone.

No one survives without water. The time to act is now.

CONTACT YOUR WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR:

Find your senator: https://www.myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Elected-Officials

Legislative Hotline:
Toll-Free: 800-362-9472
Local Madison: 608-266-9960

Hours: 8:15 AM to 4:45 PM, Monday-Friday

Email format:
Sen.[LastName].wisconsin.gov

02/13/2026

See below for the DNR - Mike Thompson letter that hundreds of people have requested via email, text or FB.

Two issues:
1. They will NOT do anything about the permits they issued to drill the High Capacity Well or to Dig the Ski Lake.

Even though these projects are DENIED by our Town. The system is so messed up the DNR hands out high capacity wells permits like candy.

And they focus on silo data to make their determinations, instead of the entire picture.

The claim that this high capacity well or ski lake dig WILL NOT affect our water, endangered species is FALSE.

We have already shared expert reports that contradict these claims.

2. Mike suggests that we should test our Well Water at our expense, because the DNR won't make common sense decisions to protect us.

That right there tells you everything. If there is no risk, why suggest we test our own water at our expense?

https://savecedarcreek.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Dear+Cedar+Creek+Stakeholders+2.11.2026%2C.pdf

02/13/2026

Community Spotlight: Trever Cox

Some people show up.
And some people show up and make sure the story is remembered.

Trever was at every meeting. Every event. Every moment that mattered.
But he didn’t just attend — he documented.

Through his photographs, Trever became the storyteller of this movement.

He captured the quiet conversations, the crowded rooms, the determination on faces, the hope, the unity, and the heart of a community coming together to protect Cedar Creek and our town.

Over the last three months, his images have told a powerful story — not of politics, but of people. Neighbors standing side by side. A town finding its voice. A shared love for this place we call home.

Because of Trever, these moments won’t fade. They’ll live on as a reminder of what’s possible when a community cares deeply and shows up together.

Thank you, Trever, for seeing us… and for helping the rest of the world see us too. 💙

From Cedar Creek to Lake Michigan, We Are Standing Up for Every Drop of Wisconsin Water.

02/12/2026

A Message from Kevin and Suzanne to Our Save Cedar Creek Community

Since November 5, 2025, Suzanne & I have worked every single day to protect Cedar Creek and the Town of Cedarburg.

In the process, we brought together an amazing group of volunteers and built community and statewide support to protect our water. This community, and people around the globe, rallied together in ways that inspired us daily.

We’ve met incredible people along the way, especially Cheryl Nenn at Milwaukee Riverkeeper, who has spent the last 20 years fighting to protect Wisconsin’s water.

Water. We literally can’t live without it.

In a state like Wisconsin, it seems limitless. But it’s not. It’s a sacred and limited natural resource.

In our experience, people intuitively recognize that as a community, we have a shared responsibility to protect our water. Even when we can’t agree on much else, we can agree on that.

Mission Accomplished

We are extremely grateful to the Town Board and Town Planning Committee for reversing course on the Gauthier Ski Lake project and denying this application.

That was our goal from the very start. Mission accomplished.

Stepping Back

At this point, Suzanne and I have decided to return to our normal lives and let this process play out however it needs to. Local government has strong authority to make decisions that protect local communities. The Town’s decision was well reasoned, based on facts, and reflects the Town Plan.

Starting today, we’re returning our attention to our family, our businesses, and the hobbies and activities we love. Including long walks on the frozen creek, with our dog Bodi.

What We Accomplished Together

Saving Cedar Creek is more than a full-time job, and we couldn’t have done it without this community. Together we reached 1.8 million people, generated 6.7 million views, and sparked over half a million comments.

We partied at Rebellion Brewing. We met numerous state officials and politicians. We scared away the Grinch at Christmas with help from Cindy Lou and the children of Cedarburg.

We appeared on every major news channel in the state. And we met thousands of new friends and neighbors.

We've supported local businesses, and worked every day to unite our community on a common cause in these turbulent times.

And we've laughed, cried and loved every minute of it.

Your Voice Matters

We want to thank you for your support and remind you how important your voice is. You have made a difference, and you can continue to make a difference.

Regardless of your political affiliation, your faith, or other ideologies, don’t forget: you can’t live without water.

A Warning

Be aware that certain levels of government aren’t working in your best interest. Especially the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The letter our community received from SE Director Mike Thompson yesterday is clear: We aren't going to do anything, but be sure to start testing your own water.

We'd strongly encourage to do just that using this device that provides real time, continuous tracking of your water levels and quality.

https://wellntel.com/

With a baseline reading, you will have all the data you need to sue the DNR, the Gauthier Family and any other party responsible should this project proceed.

But you need a baseline now, so don't delay.

The ski lake project is a disaster waiting to happen. The high capacity well that was just installed is capable of sucking up to 72% of the water the entire Town of Cedarburg used last year.

That's a 72% increase in water usage for a private ski lake. In a town that only has well water, and where wells have gone dry and burned out during mild draughts.

That's 1800 homes worth of water being sucked from our aquifer which is directly connected to our crick.

And if you track your water, and you'll win your lawsuit. And if enough people are affected, it's full Erin Brockovich as the attorneys line up to represent our community.

It's already happened when a farm in WI affected the neighboring water supply. We love farms... We are the dairy state, but even farmers and business owners take dangerous gambles, or simply make mistakes.

Usually for better reasons that a water ski lake, but the Gauthier Family is unique.

Get your well testing equipment here today: https://wellntel.com/

Unfortunately, you don’t realize how important something is until it’s gone.

If you’ve traveled to other countries, you know there are places where water has been abused so badly that you’d never drink a drop from the tap.

There are places where it’s so scarce it’s more valuable than gold.

When we allow certain individuals like the Gauthier Family or organizations like data centers to take a disproportionate share of our water, we open the door to further abuse.

Continue the Fight

Today we encourage you to continue this fight. Stand up. Speak up.

When it’s time to vote, look carefully beyond party lines and examine the candidates who represent us.

There are many important issues in the world today, but without water, none of them matter.

That’s not to say other issues aren’t important.

But we won’t last three days without clean, quality water.

Don’t ever take this for granted.

Resources Remain Available

The Save Cedar Creek page will remain live, as will our website, as the Gauthier ski project likely works its way through the courts.

We encourage you to continue engaging with the content we’ve created over the last year.

We’ve tried to use a unique combination of facts, humor, opinions, human interest stories, and satire to engage, educate, and entertain you.

We feel like we created the National Lampoon’s version of grassroots organizing: smart, funny, and factual content that brought attention to the absurdity of this terribly dangerous ski lake project.

Thank You to Our Experts

A special thank you to all the experts and community members who contributed to our library of letters and reports that substantiate the short and long-term effects this project could have, not just on the Town of Cedarburg but on all our collective waterways and the precedent it would set for our entire state.

The Bigger Picture

Depending on your age, you’ve probably seen the movie Waterworld with Kevin Costner or read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.

Given the complete ineptitude of our Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the failure of Governor Tony Evers to intervene, it’s our opinion that the state of Wisconsin is headed in that direction sooner than most people think.

State government is broken and fractured. It cannot make decisions that adequately protect the rights of our residents.

The largest companies in the world see this problem and have rushed in to exploit it. It’s happened again and again. First when our precious Cedar Creek was polluted by industry, leaving contaminants in the creek we’re still living with today.

And now companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook are coming to feast on what’s left.

Plus, let's not forget the Gauthier Family! This will be just the first of many if this project is approved. One even one giant ski lake is more than our water table, our wildlife or our wells can handle.

Whether you enjoy fishing, hunting, kayaking, sailing, or simply staying alive with easy, clean access to water, be aware that your hobbies and livelihoods are under attack.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Like all catastrophes, no one sees it coming until it’s too late.

Everyone assumes someone’s going to do something about it, that you won’t be affected. It may not happen in this generation, but your children or grandchildren are going to feel the effects of what’s happening today.

Whether it’s a rich, entitled family trying to take 1,800 times more water from a high-capacity well than any other person in a neighborhood and community they don’t even live in. . .

Or a data center that’s going to jack up your energy prices while drinking from Lake Michigan like an alcoholic on St. Patrick’s Day. . .

Or the countless other "water grabs" or "problem polluters" we’ve learned about across the state, we are under attack.

This isn’t fear mongering. It’s reality.

If you haven’t read the reports or aren’t paying attention to the facts, we encourage you to do so.

Here is one to get you started.

https://savecedarcreek.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/MKE+River+Keepers+Memo+to+Town+Board+Dec+2025+Final.pdf

Educate yourself before you jump to conclusions based on preconceived notions.

To be honest, I almost didn't go to the first Town Board meeting, because frankly I never imagined that anyone would create a plan so dangerous to our community.

But then I dug in and was shocked by what I learned.

20+ more letters and reports are available on the p***c record or scattered on this page. If you are on desktop, you can see our Featured Posts and we have a summary of just SOME of the reports we collected.

See You on the Creek

In the meantime, we hope to see you on the creek this summer, in downtown Cedarburg at the shops and restaurants that border our precious creek, or at a future Town Board meeting.

We’ve grown to love our neighbors, our neighborhood, and our creek more than we could have ever imagined.

And we’re forever grateful for your partnership and support.

With deep gratitude and love for our community,
Kevin and Suzanne Cahill

From Cedar Creek to Lake Michigan, We Are Standing Up for Every Drop of Wisconsin Water.

02/12/2026

When Cedar Creek freezes over in the winter, we can’t see the water flowing beneath the ice.

But we know it’s there.

That steady knowing—that confidence—is something we’ve always had in our town. We turn on the tap without worry. We trust our wells. We trust the land beneath our feet.

That’s a confidence worth protecting.