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Targeted conservation keeps valuable nutrients and soil on the field – only the benefits flow downstream. That’s why NRCS is extending its landmark water quality initiatives for another five years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to extend its landmark water quality initiatives for five years. The National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) have played a pivotal role in accelerating conservation in water quality by providing targeted funding and technical resources to agricultural producers in the areas that need it most.
In Wisconsin, NWQI has focused conservation in several watersheds since the Initiative’s inception, working in four watersheds in 2018.
“NRCS targeted water quality efforts have steadily demonstrated tremendous benefits in Wisconsin and across America’s landscape and water bodies,” said Angela Biggs, state conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “By focusing resources where we can have the best impacts, we’re improving the quality of rivers and streams across the country while also giving producers the tools they need to make good investments on their working lands.” Read more...
TMDL Implementation Update
MS4 General Permit Listening Session
Please join us on October
2nd, 2018 at 9:00 am for an opportunity to provide early input on the
proposed Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) general permit revisions
relating to the EPA Remand and eReporting Rules. Central Office and
Southeast Region storm water staff will host the meeting. The meeting will be
held in Room 151 at the DNR Waukesha Service Center at 151 NW
Barstow Street, Waukesha, WI 53188. Similar opportunities for feedback
are being considered by other Department regions.
The primary issues we plan on discussing will be covered in
an a MS4 permit program webinar on September 12, 2018. Attendees
are encouraged to attend the webinar as preparation for the meeting.
Additionally, we are soliciting input for the next General Permit, so please
bring your ideas on what is working well, what isn’t, and any ideas for
improvement.
Please RSVP to Jacob.Zimmerman@wisconsin.gov
no later than September 27, 2018. RSVPs are required as
space is limited. We are asking that no more than one representative
attend from each permitted MS4 in the Southeast Region. Please indicate
in the RSVP which communities you will be representing.
Milwaukee River Watershed Farmers and Ozaukee County are hosting a soil health workshop in Fredonia, Friday Sept 7, 10am-3pm. Local farmers are working to protect soil health and water quality through numerous innovative practices. Workshop topics include;
- Why is soil health important?
- Reducing costs and increasing profitability using soil health principals
- Discussion on soil health tests
- How to read soil tests
- Local efforts to improve soil health
- How to achieve soil health objectives locally
- Lunch Will Be Provided.
Location: Paulus Dairy Farm, W2828 Meadowlark Road, Fredonia, WI 53021
To register, RSVP to one of the following;
Farmers
whose corn or soybeans are standing in water after this week’s heavy rains in
southern Wisconsin might think about enrolling those lands in CREP, says Brian
Loeffelholz, who coordinates the program for the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
“When we
visited some CREP sites in the flooded parts of the state the next day, the
value of the program was very clear,” he said. “On one side of the road, corn
would be submerged in water, nutrients were likely running off, and reduced
yields or complete crop loss looked inevitable. On the other side, CREP lands
were doing their job, absorbing and retaining water and keeping the soil and
nutrients where they belonged.” More info...
EPA NPS Planning Handbook Supplement
EPA
has released a new document that helps watershed managers better target
their restoration efforts where they matter most: critical source areas.
Critical source areas are those areas within a watershed that contribute a disproportionately large amount of pollutants of concern to the identified
water quality problems. They are generally considered to be places where
high-level pollutant sources overlap or interact with high pollutant transport
potential. This supplement to EPA’s 2008 Watershed Planning Handbook is
intended to help watershed project teams define CSAs where appropriate
strategies will be implemented to achieve water quality goals in the most
efficient manner possible. Both resources are also available here.
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State officials are seeking public comment on a draft list of five water quality standards topics proposed as priorities for protecting Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers. This prioritization process, which occurs every three years, is called the triennial standards review. The topics under consideration address things such as levels of toxic pollutants and algal toxins as well as guidance for implementing water quality standards.
Stakeholders are invited to comment on DNR’s draft priority list from August 28 to October 5, 2018. The draft report of the 2018 – 2020 TSR priorities, which includes the list and topic descriptions, is available on the DNR Web site at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/surfacewater/tsr.html or go to the DNR’s website (http://dnr.wi.gov) and type in the search words “triennial standards review.”
A public hearing will be held on September 21, 2018 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. This hearing is for citizens to comment on or ask questions about the topics presented. Anyone who would like to participate is invited to join online through a webinar using the link posted on the DNR’s triennial standards review Web page, or in person at the DNR’s Madison office at 101 S. Webster St., Madison, in Room G27 after signing in at the visitor’s desk.
Questions or comments on the triennial standards review process should be directed to Marcia Willhite by calling (608) 267-7425, e-mailing marcia.willhite@wisconsin.gov, or mailing to Wisconsin DNR WT/3, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.
The 2018 Impaired Waters List was approved by the EPA as of August 2, 2018. This is now the official impaired waters list for the state until it is updated again in 2020. For more information;
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This workshop covers green stormwater management opportunities for small business owners and all those involved in decision-making re: commercial property stormwater management. Workshop sponsors include;
The workshop will explore options for dealing with roof and parking lot runoff creatively to both 1) address flooding and water quality and 2) beautify and potentially add value to your business / property. We will cover green stormwater practices such as permeable pavement, rain gardens / bio-infiltration, planter boxes, green roofs, and more.
Friday, September 14, 2018 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM
First-floor Auditorium, Global Water Center
247 W. Freshwater Way Milwaukee, WI
Please RSVP to giworkshops@cleanwisconsin.org if you plan to attend.
VISION 2050 was adopted by SEWRPC in July 2016, prior to any knowledge of the Foxconn development that is being constructed in the Village of Mount Pleasant. Given the scope and significance of this development, the plan is being amended to incorporate land use changes and transportation improvements to accommodate additional residents and jobs related to the Foxconn manufacturing campus. In addition, the plan amendment incorporates transportation improvements to serve the Foxconn area. As part of the plan amendment, staff also updated the analysis of expected costs and revenues for the recommended transportation system.
To review and comment on the proposed plan amendment, visit the Amendments page. Comments will be accepted through September 30, 2018.
NASECA presents their popular annual classroom/field day which is a great opportunity for engineers, consultants, state/municipal employees, inspectors, contractors, suppliers, developers/builders, landscapers, researchers, and educators to earn 6 CE credits/PDHs.
NEW in 2018! The New Product and Innovation Forum/Vendor Reception will be a fun and informative evening of networking with your colleagues and learning about the latest in stormwater and erosion control products. Join us on Wednesday, September 19 at 5:30 pm at the Holiday Inn Express, Rice Lake for dinner and beverages. Registration is $10 per person and can be submitted online.
Schedule of Events- September 20, 2018
Afternoon Field Demonstrations at American Excelsior Company ErosionLab - 12:45-4:15 pm
Registration is $159 members/$179 non-members and includes continental breakfast, lunch, and 6 CE credits/PDHs. Register online or visit the online event page to download a printable registration form.
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Draft guidance concerning Urban Nonpoint Source and Storm Water (UNPS&SW) Program Planning Grant Application is available for review and comment on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance web page until September 12, 2018. After the 21-day notice period, the department will consider all public comments received, and may revise the draft guidance. The department will make the final guidance available to internal and external stakeholders via the UNPS grant program website.
Please send comments concerning this draft guidance to: DNRNPSPROGRAM@wisconsin.gov.
DNR Updates Construction-Related Model Ordinance Rule
On August 1, 2018, revisions to Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR 152 went into effect, updating model ordinances for construction site erosion and sediment control, and post-construction storm water management. These revisions:
- include the updated 2011 performance standards from NR 151;
- mirror the Department of Natural Resources’ model ordinance guidance, issued in April 2015;
- do not create new policies; and
- do not require local units of government to use either model ordinance.
The department issued the model ordinances as timely guidance in 2015 to inform Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permittees before they needed to update and adopt their ordinances by May 2016 or March 2017, depending on the permit. Issuing the model ordinances by administrative rule would have exceeded that timeframe.
Contact information: Suzan Limberg, DNR Storm Water Specialist
General Permit
Questionnaire
The Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources encourages you to participate in our Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
System (MS4) permit program questionnaire. The department will use the
collected information to draft the next general permit in accordance with
applicable state and federal MS4 permit standards. Participation in the
questionnaire is voluntary. The department invites permittees, regional storm
water groups, consultants, and others interested in the MS4 general permit to
participate in the questionnaire. It will close on October 5, 2018.
Access the questionnaire here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WIDNR_MS4Permit
MS4 Program Updates
Webinar
Join us Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at 10:00 AM CDT, for a webinar on:
- a statewide summary of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) annual reports; and
- MS4 general permit revisions relating to EPA Remand and eReporting Rules.
Please mark your calendar and save this information for viewing. No registration. Viewing limit of 250. The Department of Natural Resources will record the webinar.
- Join from your computer, tablet, or smart phone on the day of the meeting: Join Skype Meeting
- You can also dial in using your phone: 1-866-715-6499, Access Code: 371 164 9161
Subscribe for storm water municipal program email updates
here: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIDNR/subscriber/new
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Wastewater Policy Updates
Wastewater policy updates are distributed via the Gov Delivery subscription based email news service. Follow the link below to subscribe;
Public notices are required by law to alert interested members of the public of the DNR's intention to authorize a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) discharge to a water of the state. The notices are posted here on the DNR website for 30 days and are also published once in the legal notices section of the local newspaper in the vicinity of the facility. The notice identifies the facility by name, indicates where the discharge is located, and briefly describes the facility's activities.
The public notice document explains how to get more information or comment on the proposed permit action. A member of the public may submit written comments or request that the Department hold a public informational hearing. For comments or requests to be timely, they must be submitted within 30 days from the date of public notice, unless otherwise indicated in the notice.
Public participation procedures are detailed in NR 203, Wis. Adm. Code [PDF exit DNR].
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 Grant Information
Sweet Water’s Mini-Grant Program
begins Accepting Applications September 5th. Are you a nonprofit, school or community group working on a
project to improve water quality in the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds?
The Sweet Water Mini-Grant opportunity may be able to support
your work!
Mini-grant awards range between $1,000 and $5,000 and include
green infrastructure, educational programs, watershed restoration and similar
efforts.
Details will be in the 2019 Request for Proposals (RFP) posted
in late August on our website. Applications will be accepted from Sep 5th to
Nov 1st 2018.
Informational workshops will be scheduled in September &
October to learn more about applying. Stay tuned for workshop dates on our
website.
Questions? Contact
Joan Herriges at herriges@swwtwater.org
or 414-382-1766.
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