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Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), a Farm Bill conservation program. Through WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.
Madison, Wis. - USDA is making available up to $40 million in technical and financial assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands. Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities.
“These locally-led partnerships are instrumental in achieving greater wetland acreage and maximizing their benefits to farmers, ranchers and the local communities where wetlands exist,” said Matthew Lohr, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “For example, we see this program as important to helping communities respond to natural disasters, such as the floods in the Midwest. These partnerships can help with addressing croplands that flood frequently and water storage.”
Proposals should be emailed to NRCS at SM.NRCS.WRE@wdc.usda.gov by June 14, 2019.
The Joint Science and Policy Team of Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc. met May 15th at UW-Milwaukee, School of Freshwater Sciences to receive updates on:
- the WQIP
- outreach plans
- the Bacteria Team
If you would like info about the Joint Science and Policy Teams, caontact Chris Magruder.
If you would like more info on the WQIP, please visit the SWWT Water Quality Improvement Planning website, or contact Jake Fincher.
Next Meeting: The 6th community meeting for the Fredonia-Newburg Nonpoint Source Watershed Restoration Plan will be in July. Stay tuned for the specific date and time in the July newsletter.
Presentations from Past Meetings
Contact Karen Nenahlo, MMSD Project Manager, for more information.
USDA is investing up to $25 million per year over the next five years to help support the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting proposals through July 15, 2019, for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, a new sub-program created by the 2018 Farm Bill for the USDA's Conservation Innovation Grants program.
Through On-Farm Trials, NRCS and partners will collaborate to encourage the adoption of innovative practices and systems on agricultural lands. On-Farm Trials funding goes directly to partners, which in turn provide technical assistance and incentive payments to producers to implement innovative approaches on their lands. Producers receiving On-Farm Trials payments must be eligible to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The maximum On-Farm Trials award for 2019 is $5 million. The minimum award is $250,000.
In Wisconsin, wet conditions this spring have farmers seeking information about planting dates, late planting and prevented planting. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, in partnership with the Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency, are here to assist you by providing some important resources.
Click READ MORE below to see final plant date maps for corn and soybeans, including late planting periods. Also, find out more information about prevented planting and see factsheets on Wisconsin corn, soybeans, and cover crops.
For further information, please contact your local USDA Service Center
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Washington and Waukesha Counties will hiring a total of 7 AIS interns this summer! Three of the interns will be working full-time alongside the AIS Coordinator. The remaining four interns will be working part-time primarily conducting boat inspections for lake groups that have been awarded Clean Boats, Clean Waters grants. In both Washington and Waukesha Counties, some interns are hired by the county through intergovernmental agreements (IGA) with lake groups. Through these IGAs, the County will hire and pay the intern throughout the summer; the lake group is predominately responsible for the management of the intern. At the end of the season when the lake groups are awarded their Clean Boats, Clean Waters grant funding, they reimburse the County!
Washington County
- AIS Intern with County - Damian Hardt
- IGA - Pike Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District - Kennedy Lawson
Waukesha County
- AIS Intern with County - Kayla Weiss
- AIS Intern with County - Michael Sadowski
- IGA - Silver Lake Management District - Ryan MacDonald
- IGA - Pretty Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (split position with Pretty Lake and Hunters Lake) - Jacob Lee
- IGA - Lower Nemahbin Lake Association - Megan Ruemler
Milwaukee Riverkeeper launched its Adopt-A-River Program in 2017 with support from Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District in an effort to connect more people to our waterways. Join Milwaukee River Keeper and citizen monitors on August 6th, 2019 to learn about the Adopt-A-River program. New adopters will meet to review program goals and expectations, meet other adopters and learn best practices.
Join Milwaukee River Keeper and citizen monitors for a new field training event being offered July 20th and November 29th, 2019. Volunteers will collect water samples at designated sites to be tested for new or ’emerging’ chemical compounds.
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Learn about lawn care and your health with Adam Wigger, UW Extension, and Doug Soldat, Extension Turfgrass and Urban Soil Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension, in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Topics in this podcast include:
- Keeping your lawn healthy after spring showers
- Damaged sections of your lawn
- Weed control
- Grass clippings – what to do with them
- Appropriate mowing frequencies
- Predictions for the season
For more information, contact Doug Soldat, (608) 263-3631
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The DNR has reissued Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permit No. WI–S050075–3, effective May 1, 2019, which replaces previous coverage under expired WPDES MS4 General Permits No. WI–S050075–2 and WI–S050181–1.
The DNR’s response to comments, the final general permit, and related documents are available on the DNR’s website at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/stormwater/municipal.
The MS4 permits require municipalities to reduce polluted storm water runoff by implementing storm water management programs with best management practices. The permit contains requirements for storm water management programs and covers a wide array of activities that occur within a municipality, such as the following:
- Public education and outreach
- Public involvement and participation
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination
- Construction site pollutant control
- Post-construction storm water management
- Pollution prevention practices for the municipality
- Total maximum daily load (TMDL) planning and implementation
The EPA Remand and eReporting Rules informed most of the new requirements in the reissued general permit.
Find storm water staff contact information here
The Storm Water Construction General Permit Application (WRAPP Form) has been improved with a number of updates, including:
- SharePoint 2016 Migration
- Updated mapping features
- New project tab (contains mapping features and attachment C checklist questions)
- Updated payment workflow with US Bank
An updated Step-by-Step help guide is available here.
As of May 1, 2019, all construction and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) storm water permit termination requests must be submitted through the Department of Natural Resources’ online system for Notices of Termination (eNOT).
The eNOT system is available on our water permit applications web page, under the Storm Water and WisDOT pulldown menus.
For information about the eNOT system, access a recording of the March 18, 2019, eNOT informational webinar on our storm water practices presentations and information web page.
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Early-Bird registration for the 2019 Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association is now available for members, exhibitors, and vendors, through August 1st, 2019.
A "certified operator" is an individual who has met the requirements of Chapter NR 114, Wisconsin Administrative Code [Exit DNR], and has been issued a certificate by the DNR to operate one or more of the classifications of wastewater treatment plants.
NR114 was revised on July 1, 2015 to reflect advancements in treatment technologies along with changes in educational training methods. Visit the NR 114 revisions web page for more information on these changes.
For more information on the following, visit the DNR Wastewater Operator Website;
- Certification Requirements
- Study Guides
- Continuing Education
- License Renewal
- Advanced Certification
- FAQs
- Newsletter
- Contacts
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Grant Information
For the first time, EPA is requesting competitive applications for water quality trading projects under the GLRI
CHICAGO (May 28, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will accept applications for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants until July 12. EPA expects to award a total of approximately $14 million for about 30 projects in five categories addressing excess nutrients and stormwater runoff.
This year, EPA is including a category to provide funding for innovative water quality trading projects. Approximately $1.5 million is available for four projects in this category which promotes cost-effective and market-based approaches to reducing excess nutrients to surface waters.
“EPA looks forward to collaborating with the Great Lakes states and agricultural communities on innovative water quality trading programs that deliver significant environmental results at a lower cost,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water David Ross.
Another $12.5 million is available to fund projects that target the following priorities:
- Riparian restoration to reduce runoff to the Maumee River
- Green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff
- Manure management to reduce nutrient runoff from farms
- Accelerating adoption of nutrient management through farmer-led outreach and education
“Reducing stormwater and nutrient runoff is a critical part of restoring the Great Lakes,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator/Great Lakes National Program Manager Cathy Stepp. “EPA is proud to offer GLRI funding for on-the-ground projects that will reduce runoff pollution and improve water quality in the Great Lakes basin.”
EPA has supported the use of water quality trading, offsets, and similar programs for achieving compliance with regulatory requirements of the Clean Water Act for many years. In February 2019, EPA issued a water quality trading memorandum that modernized the agency’s water quality trading policies to leverage emerging technologies and facilitate broader adoption of market-based programs that promote nutrient reductions and water quality improvements at a lower cost. The February 2019 memorandum is a part of the agency’s broader efforts to reduce nutrient losses through enhanced federal and state coordination and stakeholder engagement. In December 2018, EPA and USDA issued a letter to state co-regulators encouraging a reinvigoration of state, tribal, and federal efforts to reduce excess nutrients in waterways, with a focus on market-based and other collaborative approaches. In February 2019, EPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Water Research Foundation to develop affordable technologies to recycle nutrients from livestock manure.
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