Wisconsin's waters: getting better, but there's still work to be done

Will Hoyer

Thanks to your support Wisconsin's waters are better protected now than they were at the beginning of 2007. Two sets of administrative rules, one protecting the quality of our water and one protecting the quantity, went into effect in 2007.

The largest of Wisconsin's farms face increased scrutiny of their manure management practices as a result of updates to NR 243. The updates to NR 243 prohibit Wisconsin's large farms from spreading manure on frozen or snow covered ground when the threat of runoff into lakes, streams and rivers is greatest and requires these farms to have at least six months of manure storage capacity so that they can avoid spreading at vulnerable times of the year. With these rules in place there will hopefully be no more incidents of manure running off of farms and contaminating drinking water, fewer sick families and fewer fish kills.

Also, there are now rules in place to better manage the impacts of groundwater pumping on springs, trout streams and other exceptional waters of the state. NR 820 went into effect in 2007 and implements the Groundwater Protection Act of 2004. This rule, while a good first step, will need to be strengthened in the next year or two to better protect the supply of water in our precious waterways. With your support we can make the necessary improvements.

In 2008 we will work tirelessly to get rules to better protect Wisconsin's water quality from the excess nutrients and contaminants coming from the state's agriculture industry. With your support we will also be working to update 40-year-old rules governing development along shorelines, and with these changes, over time, Wisconsin's waters will be better places to live, work and play.