 New waterfront redevelopment on the Rock River in Ft. Atkinson
The next Quarterly Networking Forum will focus on waterfront development and economic revitalization for our communities along the Rock River. Villages, towns and cities can all benefit from having the Rock River as an amazing community asset and are critical partners in the Rock River Recovery. The July forum will follow up with a number of our communities visited during the "Testing the Waters" event held in June and provide an opportunity to share and learn about what our upstream and downstream neighbors are doing to take advantage of being on the Rock River and its tributaries. Please feel free to share the invite and RSVP if you are planning to attend. We hope to see you there!
Rock River Quarterly Networking Forum
July 13 2016, 9:00 - 12:00
FULL AGENDA
Janesville, WI - General Motors officials said they are working with the city of Janesville and the state Department of Natural Resources after a study of the Rock River near the former auto plant revealed results consistent with a city study from January that turned up pollution on the site. Read more.... (courtesy of Channel 3000)
Ag Sector Team Meeting
The next working meeting of the Ag. Sector Team is scheduled for Wednesday July 27, 9-12, and will be held at UW Extension in Jefferson, 864 Collins Road. This is a working meeting with counties and NPS partners with a focus on:
- Ag/NPS Project Updates
- Planning and Goals
- Roles
- Planning Full Team Meeting
The full agenda can be downloaded here.
Steve Siverling, a Chippewa County farmer located in Bloomer, Wis., is a serious advocate for managing soil health and using cover crops to benefit his farm. He’s been working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service since 2003 as an early adopter of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, installing riparian and filter strip buffers along McCann Creek. He’s also a participant in the Conservation Stewardship Program, extending a field border for water quality and wildlife protection, leaving standing grain for wildlife, using drift reducing nozzles, establishing pollinator habitat and planting multiple cover crop mixes. Read more...
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Monitoring Sector Team
The monitoring sector team is busy incorporating edits and contributions from citizen monitoring partners into the draft implementation plan text. We are also in the process of scheduling a monitoring meeting with interested parties.
Koshkonong Creek
Sampling season is upon us and DNR Biologists are conducting our Target Watershed Assessment (TWA) on the Koshkonong Creek Watershed. Biological monitoring will include: Fish Index of Biotic Integrity sampling (FIBI), Macroinvertebrate sampling to include Hilsenhoff Biotic Integrity (HBI) and Macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity (MIBI), and Diatom Nutrient Index (DNI) sampling. Contact Mike Sorge for more information.
Monitoring and Water Quality Standards
Monitoring without standards to compare to provides very little information about the actual health of aquatic ecosystems, let alone information on trends for improving or declining health. Every three years the DNR undergoes a review of our water quality standards - our Triennial Standards Review. This provides an opportunity for the public to not only learn about our water quality standards, but to also provide input and suggestions on how standards might be improved. There are a number of initiatives actively being worked on during the current 2015-2017 period, some of which are (click HERE for more):
- Aquatic Macrophyte Biotic Index for Lakes
- Biological Criteria
- Phosphorus Site-Specific Criteria (SSC) Guidance and Rules
- Use Designations Revision
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Healthy Lakes Conference
The Healthy Lakes Conference was held in Oconomowoc on June 17. The event was sponsored by the Clean Water Association, the Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Project, and Tall Pines Conservancy.
A number of speakers presented topics about ongoing efforts to improve land management and water quality in the Oconomowoc Watershed. A copy of the WDNR presentation by Mark Riedel on the Clean Water Act, TMDL Implementation and water quality in lake country can be viewed HERE.
Dane County Watershed Network Gathering:
Engage your community in future thinking
We can gain a lot from just talking with each other about what we want for the
future of our community or watershed. Sometimes, the hardest part is figuring
out how to start the conversation. Now, there is a tool to help! This workshop
will introduce you to the Yahara 2070 Discussion Guide which can be used to
engage your community in discussions about the future. Find
out more and register HERE.
July 12 – 5:30-7:00pm - Red Gym on UW-Madison Campus (716 Langdon Street – Madison)
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The Rock River Stormwater Group (RRSG) is a coalition of ten municipalities, UW-Whitewater and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) representatives. The RRSG was established in 2008 to develop and implement a Stormwater Education Program to help groups fulfill the WDNR MS4 permit requirements and to promote sustainable stormwater practices in the Rock River Basin The RRSG is in the process of reviewing and updating their education and outreach programs and initiatives. If you would like to learn more, contact Jim Martin.
Our communities all along the Rock River partner in support of the amazing Rock River Trail. The Rock River Trail was established in 2010 to promote recreational use of all 320 miles of the Rock River. Preservation, restoration & appreciation of the natural & historic attributes of the Rock River are the goal of this non-profit organization.
The 14th annual Wisconsin Association for Floodplain, Stormwater, and Coastal Management (WAFSCM) Conference will be held Nov 9-11, in Lacrosse. More information is available from the Conference Website.
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Compliance Maintenance Annual Reports (CMARs)
The 2015 CMARs were due on June 30th, 2016. If they have
not been completed yet, please begin work on it immediately. Please contact your local WDNR wastewater staff if you have any questions.
Capacity, Management, Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) Program
The deadline is fast approaching for municipalities and satellite
systems to develop and implement their own CMOM program. As part of the NR 210
revisions, CMOM programs are required to be developed and implemented by August
1, 2016. Please visit the CMOM
Website for more information and don’t forget to notify your basin engineer
when it has been completed!
Multi-Discharger Variance
The Mutli-Discharger Variance is still undergoing review with US
EPA and the Department is waiting to hear the results. Updates will be
posted to the MDV website. At this time, the Department does not have an
estimated timeline.
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