|
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducted a public informational hearing in Wauwatosa on November 15 to receive comments on the "Total Maximum Daily Loads for Total Phosphorus, Total Suspended Solids, and Fecal Coliform; Milwaukee River Basin, Wisconsin" (TMDL Study). A copy of the TMDL Study and supporting documentation can be found at:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/TMDLs/Milwaukee/
Written comments will be accepted through December 9th, 2016 and may be submitted via e-mail:
DNRMilwaukeeBasinTMDL@wisconsin.gov
Or mail:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Attn: Kevin Kirsch
101 S. Webster Street
PO Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
Reminder, Dec. 10th is the application deadline for DNR Lake and River Surface Water Planning Grants. More information...
December 14 - Glacier Resort, Wisconsin Dells
The Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants Annual Workshop allows for producer-led grant recipients throughout the state to network, share success stories, and learn from each other on what works and what hasn't in their watershed projects. Experts will also discuss how producer-led groups can be most successful regarding research efforts, building partnerships, and exploring new technologies.
All producer-led grant recipients and their collaborators are invited to attend but at least one member from each group is required. Interested partners are also invited to attend.
Click here to register for the workshop.
For more information on the program,visit;
datcp.wi.gov/pages/programs_services/producerledprojects.aspx
Any questions, please contact Rachel Rushman.
The Partnership for Ag Resource Management (PARM) is offering the following webinar on Wednesday Dev 14th at 10 a.m.;
"Manure: Managing This Valuable Asset with Best Practices and Policy for Water Quality in Mind"
Topics will include;
- phosphorus content in different manure types,
-
manure sampling,
- manure management technology.
Productive agriculture depends on healthy soil. Soil guarantees that nutrients are made available in sufficient amounts during a plant’s life cycle and it holds water that is then available to plants. It also provides many critical ecosystem functions that are necessary for life.
In this free publication from Penn State University, you’ll learn how you can protect this valuable resource through no-till. The 20-page report provides detailed information on:
- Why tillage and erosion are harmful to your soil
- How to determine your soil quality
- The importance of cover crops
- How earthworms benefit your soils
- How to minimize and alleviate compaction in no-till
- Pros and cons of manure in no-till
|
As part of the efforts for the Rock River Recovery TMDL Implementation, DNR Biologists are finalizing the monitoring
section Rock River TMDL implementation plan this
month. This will present the strategy and framework for monitoring activities and provide an example for the Milwaukee River Basin TMDL. Following incorporation of edits/comments, we will be conducting a
full meeting of the Rock River Monitoring Sector Team and providing opportunity for our
partners to review and contribute to the plan. Similarly, we will share this plan with the Milwaukee River Basin monitoring team and provide an opportunity to incorporate it into a TMDL monitoring strategy here.
Would you like to learn more about water quality in the Milwaukee River and participate in local water quality monitoring activities?
Milwaukee Riverkeeper has established a watershed-wide network of trained citizen volunteers who monitor streams and rivers, collecting information in a consistent and useable format. They launched their program in 2006 and since that time have trained 230 volunteers who have monitored close to 170 sites throughout the Milwaukee River Basin. Citizen monitors can earn training certification at two different levels. Visit their WEBSITE HERE to learn more!
|
Implementation meeting
An implementation coordination meeting was conducted October 12 at SEWRPC. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an opportunity for the TMDL development team to;
- share review process for the draft TMDL,
- coordinate ongoing and future impelementation activities, and
- plan for ongoing coordination of implementation activities once the TMDl is finalized and approved by US EPA.
The group decided it would make sense wait to plan the next TMDL meeting until after the TMDL is finalized - we anticipate this will be in the first quarter of 2017. Pay attention to future editions of this newsletter for future meeting details.
Are you interested in sharing information about your water quality work or project in the greater Milwaukee River basin area? Sweet Water is accepting presentation proposals for the 2017 Clean Rivers Clean Lakes conference until Dec 16th.
|
NEW Permit Requirement: MS4 Permit Evaluations
Per US EPA instruction, the DNR will be conducting program evaluations of its MS4 permittees with an evaluation target that may approach 20% annually. EPA is encouraging DNR to strive for this annual target. DNR internal guidance was developed over the last year to help facilitate this process.
|
At this time. there are no status updates to report for the
MDV. The final MDV package was mailed to the EPA on March 30, 2016. Upon
EPA approval, the multi-discharge variance package will become an additional
tool for WPDES permit holders facing restrictive phosphorus limitations.
As the department works with EPA towards approval of the multi-discharger
variance package, additional status updates will be provided.
Did you know a massive man-made tunnel was constructed underneath Milwaukee to help capture overflow and runoff from large storm events? This polluted water used to run into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, now, it's held underground while it awaits treatment of pollutants at Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's wastewater treatment plants. Learn more about the Deep Tunnel HERE
View the Deep Tunnel Video
|
 Grant Information
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc has announced the grant period for Healthy Watershed Consortium is now open and accepting RFP's. The goal of the Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program is to accelerate protection and enhancement of healthy watersheds. This doesn’t mean the watershed has to be pristine. It may contain a variety of human land uses, but it should be in relatively good condition.
2017 HWC Request for Proposals
Contact: Peter Stangel
U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities
Phone: 404-915-2763
Email: peter@usendowment.org
Healthy Watersheds Consortium Website: http://www.usendowment.org/healthywatersheds.html
|
|
