 Wisconsin has over 32,000 miles of streams and more than 15,000 lakes.
No waters in Rock River TMDL are affected.
IMPAIRED WATERS, RESTORATION WATERS AND HEALTHY WATERS
Every two years, Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to publish a list of all waters not meeting water quality standards and an overall report on surface water quality status of all waters in the state. To comply with this reporting requirement, Wisconsin produces three lists.
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Impaired Waters: This is the official CWA 303(d) list. It contains waters with no cleanup plan in place (TMDL, alternative restoration).
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Restoration Waters: These are impaired waters with a restoration plan in place. This list was created during the 2020 cycle.
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Healthy Waters: These are waters assessed for at least one metric and show no impairment. Waters have been identified since 2014. The list was created during the 2018 cycle.
Prior to the 2018 cycle, the only list generated was the Impaired Waters list. For the 2020 cycle and future cycles, this list is separated into two separate lists: the impaired waters list and the restoration waters list. This change is made to align our methods more closely with the listing methods of other midwest states. Of the evaluated wateers in Wisconsin, 83% are healthy, 13% are impaired, and 4% are undergoing active restoration.
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Sector Team Updates
The WI Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP) will be hosting meetings throughout the year with stakeholders about potential changes to our ATCP 50 rule. Visit the ATCP 50 Rule Change Website for information about upcoming stakeholder meetings and topics and sign up to receive GovDelivery notifications. A link to a kickoff presentation about the rule scope will be available soon, too! Questions and comments can be sent to DATCPlandwater@wisconsin.gov.
ATCP 50 is the administrative rule that covers soil and water resource management grants to counties, county resource management planning, cost-share requirements for land owners, conservation compliance for farmland preservation tax credits, local ordinances, nutrient management, and other conservation practices.
Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) grant applications for projects beginning in 2023 are now available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s grant program webpage.
The following eligible applicants have until April 15, 2022 to submit applications for 2023 Targeted Runoff Management projects: cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage and sanitary districts.
The Targeted Runoff Management Grant Program offers local governments competitive grants to control nonpoint source pollution. There are four types of grant projects: large-scale total daily maximum load (TMDL), large-scale non-TMDL, small-scale TMDL and small-scale non-TMDL.
Eligible projects include:
- Construction of structural best management practices
- Implementation of non-structural cropping practices
- Staffing costs to plan and install management practices
- Agricultural projects implementing state agricultural performance standards and prohibitions
- Agricultural or urban projects designed to meet TMDL goals approved by the Environmental Protection Agency
Thursday, March 10, 10:00- 11:00 a.m.
Pheasants Forever (PF) is a leading non-profit conservation organization in the United States, creating and enhancing millions of acres of habitat through working with local PF chapters and supportive partners in conservation. Join Josh Bendorf (Precision Ag & Conservation Specialist), Lauren Soergel (Farm Bill Biologist), and Jeff Williams (Wetlands Biologist) as they break down the work of PF in Wisconsin and how the organization continues to grow.
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The 2021 monitoring season is over and volunteers have stowed away their monitoring gear for the winter, but we are busy planning spring field trainings for new WAV volunteers! If you are a new volunteer interested in joining WAV in spring 2022, here’s what you can do now:
- Complete the Online Introduction in preparation for 2022 and fill out the survey at the end of the online course. You will be contacted by a WAV coordinator in the spring to sign up for an in-person field training.
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Subscribe to our WAV news email list to stay in the know!
- Watch this Events page for our spring field training dates, which will be posted by late February, or connect with your local WAV coordinator to learn when they will host trainings.
Numerous online and in-person training events are now scheduled in April-May, throughout the state for 2022. The Rock River Coalition is hosting a number of these across the Rock River Basin - check here for details on times and locations.
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April 6-8, Steven's Point
This year’s statewide convention is again part of Wisconsin Water Week, and brought to you by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Extension Lakes, Wisconsin Lakes, and Water Action Volunteers. This year’s theme is "Protecting What We Love for the Future".
The hands-on workshops and engaging presentations during this year’s event will be centered around this theme of protecting our water resources. Our look “to the future” means we will also be focusing on success stories and recommendations of resilience, adaptation, and action in a changing climate. We will also be intentional about highlighting efforts and ideas that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in water resource protection and management.
Mark your calendars for April 6-8, 2022 and join this unique group of citizen scientists, businesses, and lake, river, and wetland professionals. This event will also have a virtual component for those who are unable to attend in person – see the Agenda page for more details.
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) updated Technical Standard 1060 Storm Drain Inlet Protection For Construction is now available on the DNR’s Storm Water Construction Technical Standards webpage.
The standard was revised to incorporate rigid frame type inlet protection devices and aid in device selection. Use of rigid frame type inlet protection devices is intended to minimize sediment from entering storm drainage systems in areas where the contributing drainage area is temporarily disturbed or receives traffic from temporarily disturbed areas nearby.
Technical standard revisions included input from previous public review and was updated using the Standards Oversight Council Modified Process.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public comment on the draft Technical Standard 1072 Horizontal Directional Drilling. The deadline to submit comments is Mar. 14, 2022.
Horizontal directional drilling is often used to avoid or minimize impacts to wetlands, waterways, roads and other surface features. During horizontal directional drilling operations, there is a risk of inadvertent release (IR) of drilling fluid that can impact water resources.
The draft Technical Standard 1072 identifies planning and implementation practices to protect water quality by reducing the risk of inadvertent release of drill fluid and limiting the impact to water resources if an inadvertent release does occur.
The Standards Oversight Council developed the draft Technical Standard 1072 using the framework and standards outlined in the Technical Standards Process Handbook. More information on the Standards Oversight Council is available on the project website here.
How To Submit Comments
- Review the Technical Standard 1072 Horizontal Directional Drilling draft here.
- Submit comments via email to soc@wisconsinlandwater.org by midnight on Monday, Mar. 14, 2022.
- Keep comments specific and directly related to this technical standard.
- You may insert your comments into the Adobe pdf document, or otherwise indicate the page or line numbers to which your comments refer. If you have general comments applicable to the entire standard, please note them as such.
- Respond in the same order as the sections appear in the draft.
After the notice period is complete, all comments are considered by the Standards Oversight Council work team and DNR. Draft revisions will be considered and the final updated technical standard will be available to internal and external stakeholders.
Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water (UNPS & SW) Construction Grant applications for projects beginning in 2023 are now available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s grant program webpage.
The following eligible applicants have until April 15, 2022 to submit applications for 2023 construction projects: cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage and sanitary districts.
The Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water grant program offers local governments competitive grants to control pollution that is carried by storm water runoff from diffuse urban sources. The grants reimburse costs of construction projects that control this type of pollution. Eligible construction projects include:
- Construction of structural urban best management practices including wet detention
- Infiltration, or wetland basins, or infiltration trenches
- Engineering design and construction services for best management practices installation
- Land acquisition and easement purchase, including appraisal cost
- Storm sewer rerouting and removal of structures
- Streambank and shoreline stabilization
Please note that Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water planning grant applications will not be solicited in 2022 but will be solicited again in 2023.
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WDNR Wastewater Staff update the status of WPDES Wastewater Permits to track progress on permit issuance and TMDL Implementation. There are 79 active WPDES wastewater permits in the Rock River Basin (originally 81 included in the 2011 Rock River TMDL). One hundred percent (100%) of active permits have TMDL limits and are in TMDL implementation.
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 Implementation of TMDL limits via WPDES permits can take many forms, and frequently occurs as a combination of options (e.g. plant upgrade and optimization, combined with water quality trading). The options chosen by permit holders are illustrated below.
Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Wisconsin announced today, the availability of $500,000 in Wisconsin Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) funding to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. All non-federal entities and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of federal agencies. Project proposal applications are due April 11, 2022.
Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) is a competitive program that supports the development of new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands. “Through creative problem solving and innovation, CIG partners work to address our nation's water quality, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while improving agricultural operations,” said Acting Wisconsin State Conservationist Eric Allness.
CIG project proposals must involve Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) eligible producers and should demonstrate the use of innovative technologies or approaches to address a natural resource concern. These resource concerns must fit into one of the following categories: Conservation Planning, Manure Management Systems or Climate Smart Management Systems. Read more...
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