Through the Community Rivers Program (CRP), Riveredge Nature
Center, located in Newburg, WI, is working with local rural and suburban
communities within the upper Milwaukee River watershed to help improve the habitat and quality of water in
the watershed. The program achieves this through a series of personal
education, engagement and adventure activities in addition to community-wide
efforts.
Last
summer (June-August), Riveredge launched a one year CRP pilot project in the Village of Newburg. A total of 1,254 residents were
invited to participate in the project’s programming and outreach efforts. The
CRP will be continuing its partnership with the Village of Newburg and is
expanding into the Village of Saukville and the Village of Grafton, starting
June 2018. This summer, the program will offer free family fishing, river
clean-ups, storm drain stenciling, kayaking and much more to village residents
within the three communities. Mandie
Zopp, CRP Coordinator and Director of Research and Conservation at Riveredge
states, “It is our hope that all communities within the upper Milwaukee River
watershed will become Healthy River Communities.”
For
more information about the project or to find out how your community can become
a Healthy River Community go to http://www.riveredgenaturecenter.org/communityrivers or contact Mandie at mzopp@riveredge.us
Your WI Dept of Natural Resources is happy to announce the new water quality conservation general permit, which dramatically streamlines the regulatory process, is now available! This general permit includes several agricultural water quality conservation activities including: grassed waterways, filter strips, lined waterways, grade stabilization structures, stream crossings, water and sediment control basins, dams, sediment basins, and constructed wetlands.
We hope this new tool will also help support innovative programs within the Water Quality Bureau including water quality trading, adaptive management and TMDL implementation. This general permit is only available to government agencies including land conservation departments, NRCS, and other similar agencies and we are planning targeted outreach to inform these key stakeholders.
|
May Successes from the Field Series
In
Sheboygan County, learn about Almeta Farms and their deep roots in
conservation. Through implementing a conservation plan and installing
practices, they are meeting their goal of leaving a legacy for the next
generation, making the farm more productive and healthier than when they
started. Read More (1 MB pdf)
Gabe Brown of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, N.D., will
lead No-Till Farmer's next
free webinar, "Capturing
the Full Value of Cover Crops, Perennial Pastures.” Brown will
examine how you can get the full value of cover crops through grazing and
expanding your cash crop rotation. Register
here.
This free webinar,
sponsored by Truax
Co., the manufacturers of the OTG Seed Drill and FlexII Series Grass Drill,
is next Wednesday, June 6,
at 10 a.m. CST. If you can't attend the live webinar, you can
still sign up and we'll send you an email with instructions on how to view the
replay, which you can access at any time.
DATCP will begin taking PLWP grant applications in July for 2019 funding and will again award up to $750,000. Application materials will be available on the program webpage. A PLWP grant program impact report is being developed and should be available by mid-June.
The May news update
features a recap of the Annual Producer-Led Workshop, a summary of the
Buffalo-Trempealeau Farmer Network winter event and the 2018 producer-led grant
awardees with project descriptions to learn more about what each group will be
working on this year. Read it now:
For questions: email: rachel.rushmann@wi.gov or call
608-224-4622
After an admittedly epic development cycle, the SnapPlus team is
proud to present version 17.0 of Wisconsin’s Nutrient Management Program, which
you can download here.
Version 17 has almost 400 fixes and 150-plus improvements, large
and small. See “What’s
New in 17” for the whole scoop. As always, we provide a fully functional
“beta” version of the software that can be installed and run alongside earlier
versions.
The SnapPlus Team thanks you for your patience, and for the help they’ve gotten from so
many users.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Department of Natural Resources submit an annual report to the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board. The report, required under Wisconsin statute, summarizes and evaluates progress in the land and water conservation programs that the two agencies fund or administer. The 2017 report has been published and is now available here.
|
In this issue of their newsletter;
- Learn more about Clean Boats, Clean Waters Training
- Meet the new summer AIS Team
- Citizen Lake Monitoring aquatic plant ID training
- Updating AIS strategies, and
- Upcoming Events
|
Join
Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Lakefront Brewery
for an afternoon of creatively decorating rain barrels awhile enjoying the
relaxing lakefront view. For $30, you will receive a 60-gallon blue barrel and
all the supplies necessary to turn it into a rain barrel!
- Pick up your rain barrel
- Assemble your rain barrel with the help of our staff
- Start priming and painting your barrel with paint and
paint brushes supplied by Milwaukee Riverkeeper
- Join our rain barrel design contest. Teams will be able
to work on their designs from 11 a.m. –2 p.m.
- Take it home with you at 2 p.m. to start using it right
away
Already
have a rain barrel? Stop on by and check out the artists’ designs! Have a great
time by the river, make some functional art to help protect the river, enjoy
camaraderie and enjoy a cold one!
June 3: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lakefront Brewery: 1872 N. Commerce St., Milwaukee, WI 53212
Registration before the
event is required. We have a limited
number of barrels so be sure to reserve yours today.
Questions? Please email Christina at Milwaukee Riverkeeper.
Future
meeting plans will be published in this newsletter. If you are subscribed
to this newsletter, and/or have participated in past meetings, you will receive
notifications. Past editions of this newsletter are available;
2018: May, April, March, February, January
2017: December, November, October, September, August,
July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2016: December, November
|
Q & A's
Question: Our community is trying to
determine which of our stormwater BMPs will count towards a TMDL reduction. It
would seem that a bioswale constructed in 2017 would count towards the TMDL
reduction, though a stormwater pond constructed in 1970 may or may not count
towards a TMDL reduction. How do we determine which practices may be coutned towards a TMDL reduction?
Answer: While the
TMDL development has a baseline condition of existing regulatory
control for MS4s that is used in establishing waste load
allocations, the implementation
of TMDLs for MS4s will be a percent reduction from the no-control condition.
MS4s get credit for all treatment practices from the no-controls
condition. In other words, count
them all in comparison to the “no controls” condition.
On June 1, 2016, DNR’s Wetland
Screening and Delineation Procedures guidance established a wetland
screening process requiring customers applying for storm water, CAFO
(Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), and waterway and wetland permits to
submit specific screening information with their application. The wetland
indicator layers for this purpose were developed by the Department of Natural
Resources and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to assist with
making a preliminary determination of the potential for wetlands on a given
property. Only a wetland professional can verify wetlands are present on a
property.
Historically, the wetland
indicator layer, commonly known as the “pink layer” was the only wetland
indicator layer available on the surface water data viewer. This layer is being
replaced by an updated layer, colored purple, to more accurately depict wetland
potential. For the time being, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) displays both Wetland Indicator layers on its Surface Water Data Viewer
(SWDV) online: the “Maximum Extent Wetland Indicator” pink layer and the
“Minimum Extent Wetland Indicator” purple layer. The agency is piloting the
purple layer for screening accuracy. However, an error was found when the
purple layer went live. The DNR’s wetland mapping team is working quickly to
correct this issue.
To those who have already submitted an application based on the purple
layer, DNR staff reviewing permit applications will continue to screen using
the “Maximum Extent Wetland Indicator” pink layer. The agency also expects
applicants to screen for wetlands based on the pink layer until further notice.
For additional information, view
the wetland
indicators map web page.
Doug Soldat, UW-Extension Turfgrass and Urban Soil Specialist, gives advice on lawn care and properly managing lawn fertilizers.
- Mowing height
- Lawn fertilizer tips
- Kinds of fertilizer
- Weed control on lawns
- Advantages of a healthy lawn
- How to find more information
|
Draft WQBEL Memo
Our wastewater staff have received a number of inquiries asking how the new Milwaukee River Basin TMDLs will be reflected in reissued permits and water based effluent limitis (WQBELs). Staff have prepared a general WQBEL memo as an example.
While the specific limits and language will vary from facility to facility, much of what you will find in your new WQBEL will be similar or identical to this example. The numbers, locations, and reach ID in this example are for illustrative purposes ONLY and not reflective of what will be in actual WQBEL memos issued to facilities. Please feel free to contact your local Permit Drafter or Wasterwater Engineer if you have any questions.
Wastewater Policy updates
Similar to the focused Rock River Recovery Gov-delivery topic, this topic will only include wastewater specific policy update notifications and information. However, unlike the monthly Rock River Recovery newsletter, the wastewater topic updates will be sent as they are issued, rather than on a regular monthly basis. If you would like to subscribe to this service, follow this link;
Q & A's
WDNR staff recently received the following question regarding discharge and runoff from permitted industrial facilities.
Question: For TMDLs, what is considered a "general permit source" for waste load allocations? I'm trying to figure out how I would know if the WLA is the MS4s responsibility or the industrial facility's responsibility.
Answer: Industrial wastewater and storm water WPDES permittees do not have an individual WLA so they can continue to discharge subject to the requirements of the WPDES general permit that is applicable to them. All permitted MS4s have additional requirements to work at decreasing their discharge to level(s) that the TMDL has established for them.
An industrial wastewater facility that has an individual permit was likely given a WLA, which is to be incorporated into their WPDES permit when it is reissued by DNR.
|
 Grant Information
Sweet
Water announced the winners of their 2018 Mini-Grant Program at their annual Clean Rivers Clean Lake Conference. They
will begin accepting grants for 2019 this fall, so now is a great time to start
getting ready with ideas for submissions.
Sweet
Water’s signature Water Quality Mini-Grant Program distributes grants of $1,000
- $5,000 to non-profit community and civic groups for projects or
activities that advance Sweet Water's mission and vision.
Funding
is available for eligible projects located in any of the five watersheds located in Southeastern
Wisconsin: the Kinnickinnic, Menomonee, Milwaukee, Root, and Oak Creek.
The aim of the Water Quality Mini-Grant Program
is to support efforts that make use of green infrastructure practices or other
approaches to improve water quality, enhance environmental conservation,
restore aquatic habitat, or educate people about these issues. A
mini-grant project can be implemented at an individual site, as a neighborhood
project, or as a community-wide initiative.
|
|
