 The update of VISION 2050 was finalized during the first few months of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Commission recognizes that long-term impacts to transportation and land use are possible. Staff will continue to monitor potential impacts and revise the plan as necessary. Despite the potential for changes, it remains important to implement VISION 2050 and achieve the substantial benefits the plan offers.
Every four years, the Commission conducts an interim review and update of the regional land use and transportation plan, in part to address Federal requirements. On June 17, 2020, the Commission adopted the 2020 Review and Update of VISION 2050. The 2020 Update assessed the progress in implementing the original VISION 2050 recommendations, the performance of the transportation system, year 2050 forecasts underlying the plan, and changes in recent years that impact the plan. The 2020 Update also examined whether it remains reasonable for the recommendations in VISION 2050 to be accomplished over the next 30 years, given implementation of the plan to date and available and anticipated funding.
The Commission published a report documenting the 2020 Update, which identifies the added and updated recommendations and includes an updated financial analysis for the recommended transportation system and updated equity analyses related to the updated plan. In addition to the 2020 Update report, the Commission prepared a Second Edition of VISION 2050. Both reports are available on this website. Changes made to VISION 2050 as a result of the 2020 Update are reflected throughout the site, including on the individual plan element pages and the Maps page. SEWRPC encourages you to explore the site and learn about the plan's recommendations and the actions needed to achieve the plan's ultimate vision.
The Nine Key Element (9KE) framework is being used to guide the implementation of the Milwaukee Basin TMDLs. This strategy and development of these 9KE Implementation Plans is spelled out in the Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP). The Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka SWWT, aka Sweet Water), along with numerous municipal, county, regional, and local partners, are working to develop 9KE Watershed Implementation Plans for the greater Milwaukee River Basin region. These are summarized below:
The following Nine Key Element Watershed Restoration plans have been formally approved and can guide implementation:
Sector Team Updates
This year’s Wisconsin Cover Crop Conference may look a little different, but we promise to still bring you the valuable content you have come to expect from this conference.
Topics include moving forward through adversity, cover crops for weed management, growing small grains, and the economic and environmental benefits of rotational grazing.
Last year’s conference was a huge success with 400 attendees – while we can’t get together in-person, we hope to reach as many people with this year’s content.
Jointly sponsored by UW Madison Division of Extension's Conservation Professional Training Program and Wisconsin DNR, these workshops are designed for livestock operations near or at WPDES permit size (CAFOs) -- owners/management and key staff, their agronomic and engineering consultants, and agency staff and others who work with these operations.
NEW FOR 2021: The format has changed due to the pandemic. There are four sessions that you can join remotely. Each session is held 9:30 - 11:30am. The full agenda can be found here: (LINK TO BE POSTED).
- Feb 2 is for farms who do not yet have a permit but might consider one in the next few years.
- Feb 3 focuses on Nutrient Management
- Feb 4 focuses on Production Area Management
- Feb 5 focuses on Managing for the Future
Cow College meetings and farm tours have been offered as in-person events during prior years. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cow College 2021 meetings and tours have moved to a virtual format.
Tune in on Jan. 13, 2021 from 12-1 p.m. to hear Dr. James Salfer, University of Minnesota Extension, discuss the economics of automated milking systems and learn if robotic milking is right for your farm.
Dairy heifer management will be the topic on Jan.20, 2021 from 12-1 p.m. Tina Kohlman, UW- Madison Extension Fond du Lac County, will focus on heifer inventory management practices. Tina will help your farm decide which heifers to keep and which heifers to cull. In addition, you will also learn about the importance of achieving the correct heifer maturity from the second speaker of the day, Dr. Gavin Staley, Diamond V.
More information...
This program is sponsored by UW-Madison Division of Extension Shawano and Outagamie offices and Fox Valley Technical College.
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking data on the water quality of lakes, streams and rivers in our state. Every two years, the DNR requests Wisconsinites and interested groups submit their biological, chemical and physical surface water data.
Along with Department data, submitted data will be used to assess the quality of our state’s water resources and pinpoint problem areas. In accordance with the Clean Water Act, the DNR uses these assessments to prepare a statewide Integrated Water Quality Report which includes an updated list of impaired waters.
Data will be accepted from Dec. 7, 2020 – Jan. 15, 2021.
The DNR is especially interested in data that:
- Documents improvement due to implementation of pollution control practices;
- Documents healthy waters;
- Supports planning for restoration or protection of water bodies;
- Identifies public health risks;
- Is from water bodies in the Fox River (Southeast) basin, or Grant, Platte, Sugar or Pecatonica River basins; and
- Could be used for water quality criteria development in addition to assessments.
Data must be submitted electronically, and the information must be submitted in specific Excel spreadsheet formats, along with quality assurance documentation.
Required elements include:
- A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP);
- Data in the specified Excel spreadsheet format (template provided);
- Locational information in specified spreadsheet format (template provided); and
- General information about the submitter.
Templates and further instructions are available on the Surface Water Public Participation webpage. Data received as PDF files or in other hard copy formats will not be accepted.
Guidance on minimum data requirements and how the DNR evaluates data is available in the draft 2022 Wisconsin Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (WisCALM). This guidance is currently undergoing revisions for the 2022 reporting cycle, and the 2022 version is on the DNR website.
Please contact DNR staff with any questions at DNRWYWaterbodyAssessments@wisconsin.gov
Ice fishing tournaments are fun, popular, family friendly events that allow us to enjoy our lakes throughout winter across Wisconsin. However, did you know that, despite the cold weather and lake ice, Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) such as invertebrates, exotic bait fish, and plant material can still be introduced into lakes? It is important for anglers to continue following bait laws and to not move water from one lake to another, and to also clean all equipment and not contaminate lakes by introducing muck or plant residue from outside sources. In Washington County, the AIS Coordinator spoke to the Nabob Prairie Riders, a snowmobile club in Washington County, at their meeting at the Mueller Linden Inn on Big Cedar Lake. They will be hosting an ice fishing tournament on Big Cedar in January 2020. With Little Cedar Lake (which contains the invasive macro-algae starry stonewort) only a few miles away, the AIS Coordinator wanted to ensure that they were familiar with the species and encouraged them to knock any sediment and materials off of their equipment and make sure their gear is clean before moving to another lake. For more information on AIS on your area, contact your local AIS Coordinator:
The DNR has established limits on the size and number of tournaments on some lakes and rivers to minimize concerns such as crowding, the spread of invasive species and indirect fish mortality. Additionally, an application fee is required to cover the increasing cost of implementing the tournament fishing program.
How does the DNR regulate fishing tournaments?
The DNR has specific regulatory authority over fishing tournaments in Wisconsin.
How to schedule or find a Wisconsin fishing tournament
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View a calendar with all scheduled Wisconsin tournaments to make sure your waterbody and dates are available, or to find a tournament you'd like to attend.
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Apply for a tournament permit.
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In the new video, “A Toxic Legacy: Cleaning Up Milwaukee’s Waterways,” Milwaukee historian, John Gurda, shares the next steps in an ambitious plan to clean up the remaining historical pollution in the rivers and harbor of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC). AOCs are polluted hot spots in Great Lakes rivers and harbors that were specially targeted by the U.S. and Canada for cleanup in 1987.
A Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreement with federal, state and local partners signed earlier in 2020 leverages funding and offers a shared path forward to accelerate cleanup of the remaining contaminated sediments in the Milwaukee Estuary AOC. Signatories to the agreement are the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, We Energies, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Milwaukee has a unique opportunity to solve one of its longest-standing problems in a massive public works project. The EPA has identified 10 AOCs, Milwaukee’s among them, as priority targets for its Great Lakes remediation efforts over the next four years. Milwaukee, in turn, has assembled a united front of agencies—city, county, state, businesses and nonprofits—to coordinate the cleanup. The EPA has agreed to fund 65% of the preliminary work, projected to cost $29.3 million, and efforts are underway to raise the local match.
In scale, speed and impact— this is a historic opportunity to remove toxic pollution that prevents our region from reaching its full potential. This project is vital to restore the health of our waterways and to open economic opportunities for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.
To learn more see this article by John Gurda, “A Toxic Legacy: Milwaukee Prepares to Clean Up 150 Years of Water Pollution.”
About the Milwaukee Estuary AOC
The Milwaukee Estuary AOC was designated as one of 43 sites on the Great Lakes with significant environmental damage by the United States and Canada in 1987. The AOC boundaries include the lower reaches of the three major tributaries to Lake Michigan— the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers— that meet to form the Milwaukee Estuary, plus segments of a few local creeks and the nearshore waters of Lake Michigan.
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Annual Reports
The 2020 Annual Report online form is now available in the MS4 eReporting System. The annual report is due March 31, 2021, and the online form is required to be filled out and submitted electronically via the eReporting system.
How to access
Water Permit Portal, choose Storm Water: http://dnr.wi.gov/permits/water/
A copy of the 2020 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Annual Report PDF form is available on the DNR Municipal storm water eReporting web page. Municipalities may use this PDF form to route for information collection for calendar year 2020, however the PDF form cannot be uploaded or emailed. The annual report must be submitted via the eReporting system.
Notable changes to 2020 Annual Report form
- Updated Public Education & Outreach and Public Involvement & Participation question format for more accurate tracking
- Evaluation Tab: Total maximum daily load implementation status questions
Storm Water Management Program (SWMP) Documents
General permittees and Madison area (MAMSWaP) permittees shall submit their storm water management programs to the department by and begin implementing any updates no later than March 31, 2021 (ref: WPDES Permit No. WI-S050075-3, section 3; WPDES Permit No. WI-S058416-4, Section 5). Storm water management program documents describe in detail how the permittee intends to comply with the permit’s requirements for each minimum control measure. A document will need to be submitted separately for each of the programs through the eReporting system. The written storm water management program permit compliance documents can be submitted with the “Annual Report” or “Other” MS4 compliance document options.
Learn more: “What’s due March 31, 2021?!” video tutorial (17 min.) on what permit compliance documents are due and how to submit them.
Additional information and resources for MS4 eReporting
Includes User Support Tools and the Delegation of Signature Authority form: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/stormwater/municipal/eReporting.html
More information about MS4 permits: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/stormwater/municipal/
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is currently updating NR 216, Wis. Adm. Code regarding storm water permitting. The rule amendment proposes to address the omissions and deviations from federal storm water requirements, codify other federal storm water requirements in effect since 2003 and address any additional rule changes necessary and reasonable relating to federal requirements or state statute.
As part of this effort, the DNR is preparing an economic impact analysis (EIA) for proposed rule WT-09-19 relating to storm water discharge permits. A preliminary draft of the EIA and a draft of the board order are available for download as a clickable link by going to the following webpage and scrolling down to WT-Watershed Management.
If you cannot access or download the information, please send an email to the following address: DNRNR216Revisions@wisconsin.gov.
The DNR will accept written comments on the EIA until Jan. 20, 2021. Please see the notice for additional detail on the input requested. A separate public comment period on the rule itself will be held after the EIA is finalized.
Comments may be submitted electronically to DNRNR216Revisions@wisconsin.gov or mailed to: Amy Minser – WT/3, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.
April 20, 21: 8-1030 am
Waukesha County’s Land Resources Division plans to hold its Spring Stormwater Workshop on April 20-21, 2021, from approximately 8:00-10:30 am. The workshop will be virtual, hosted by WI Land + Water. If you are interested in attending, please mark these dates on your calendar. Further information on registration and agendas will be sent by the beginning of February.
Call for Presentations
The workshop will tentatively include about 10 half-hour presentations and will likely draw 100-150 people. If you are interested in being a presenter, please contact Leif Hauge at lhauge@waukeshacounty.gov, and provide a brief (i.e. 3-4 sentences) synopsis of the topic you would like to discuss. Presenters have the workshop registration fee waived. Any topic pertaining to stormwater management or erosion control will be considered.
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Join the City of Oconomowoc and their project partners to review the many achievements of the Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Program during the past five years. Ononomowoc POTW chose Adaptive Management as their permit compliance option over 6 years ago and began planning and working with watershed partners to make this happen. Learn about how the facility works with partners on the implementation of innovative agricultural best management practices to the removal of phosphorus from our rivers, lakes and streams. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A with speakers.
Wednesday, January 27th from 11 am - 1 pm
Followed by a Q& A Session at 1:15 pm
REGISTER
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