EM Insight 2024 Quarter 4: October - December
Quarterly News and Highlights From the Environmental Management (EM) Division
The EM Insight is a quarterly report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Environmental Management (EM) Division that profiles some of the great results that our staff, teams and partnerships have achieved. The division is pleased to present the following highlights of our work from October - December 2024.
In This Edition
Headline News
DNR Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Safe Drinking Water Act
During the last few months of 2024, the Drinking Water and Groundwater Program (DG) celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Over the past half-century, this important federal legislation paved the way to safer drinking water in Wisconsin and the rest of the nation. This anniversary is an important time to remember our shared responsibility to protect the water we all drink.
To honor this milestone anniversary, Gov. Evers issued a proclamation recognizing the impacts of the Safe Drinking Water Act, and DG developed an anniversary website, a press release and a Wisconsin Natural Resources article. While it is noteworthy to highlight all the safe drinking water successes over the years, it is critical to continue to work collaboratively on addressing emerging contaminants, build on past achievements, advocate for effective legislation and push for progress in providing safe drinking water for everyone.
New Video Highlights Fish Passage Restoration on Little Balsam Creek
The DNR released a new video about a project that reconnected fish habitat along Little Balsam Creek with Lake Superior. This project is part of a larger ongoing effort to restore fish and wildlife habitats in the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC).
Culverts under roads that cross Little Balsam Creek in the town of Summit in Douglas County were replaced to better handle higher flood waters and allow fish to swim through at any water level, even in very low flows.
Construction on the final hurdle, the Gandy Dancer State Trail bridge, was completed in October 2024. This 315-foot-long concrete box culvert was transformed into a fish-friendly bridge. With these obstacles removed, trout, sculpin, dace and other species now have a clear path for over five miles to swim upstream from Lake Superior to the headwaters of Little Balsam Creek, creating a healthy and thriving fishery.
Little Balsam Creek Fish Passage Project partners include the DNR along with the town of Summit, Douglas County, Federal and Wisconsin Emergency Management Agencies, the University of Wisconsin-Superior Lake Superior Research Institute, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The St. Louis River was listed as an AOC in the 1980s due to pollution and habitat destruction. Pollution cleanup and habitat restoration efforts are underway with funding from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and many dedicated partners. To learn more about this ongoing restoration work and how to get involved, visit the DNR's St. Louis River Area of Concern webpage.
DNR Celebrates Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Award Winners on America Recycles Day
In November, the DNR recognized 13 communities and organizations for going beyond the basics required by Wisconsin's recycling law. The annual Recycling Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding recycling and waste minimization efforts. In addition to landfill-banned items (which include curbside recyclables and electronics), the winners diverted many tons of food waste, furniture, plastic film and household hazardous waste for reuse or recycling.
DNR Releases Air Quality Trends Report
As part of its effort to communicate air quality improvements over time, the DNR released the 2024 Wisconsin Air Quality Trends Report. The report covers 20 years of state air monitoring data for air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act, including ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particle pollution and lead.
The report presents data through the 2023 calendar year, including data from the historic 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke events. Wildfire smoke events in 2023 resulted in the DNR's issuance of 15 PM2.5 air quality advisories—almost five times higher than the average over the previous 12 years. PM2.5 advisories are issued when air quality has reached or is expected to reach the Orange “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” level on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
To better illustrate the latest trends, the DNR updated the interactive StoryMap, which shows Wisconsin's air quality trends for each pollutant over the last 20 years. This tool provides an interactive, visual way to convey complex air quality data.
Invasive Carp Detected in the Lower Chippewa and Lower Black Rivers
In October, the DNR announced that silver carp, an invasive species, have been detected in portions of the lower Chippewa River and lower Black River in western Wisconsin. The carp was identified through acoustic receiver data collected by DNR staff south of the Dells Dam on the lower Chippewa River (Eau Claire) and on the lower Black River (near Melrose).
Silver carp may also be observed in the tributaries to the lower Chippewa River, such as the Red Cedar River up to the Lake Menomin Dam and the Eau Claire River up to the Lake Altoona Dam, since these waterbodies do not have barriers that would prevent upstream fish movement from the adjacent lower Chippewa River.
The dam in Black River Falls is a barrier to upstream fish migration, and no observations or other detections of invasive carp have been reported in the lower Black River at this time. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is resampling the Chippewa River for environmental DNA. Members of the public should notify local aquatic invasive species staff or fisheries biologists if any suspected invasive carp are observed or captured in the lower Chippewa and Black rivers or their tributaries.
Although no technology currently exists to eradicate invasive carp, the DNR is working collaboratively with other state and federal agencies to research and develop invasive carp prevention and control technologies.
Resources And Website Spotlight
Updated Air Reporting System Available for 2025 Reporting Season
The DNR updated the Air Reporting System (ARS), a web-based program used by facilities to submit Emissions Inventory (EI), EI Certification or an Under-Thresholds-Notification (UTN). The updates aimed to improve the user experience and provide an opportunity for the DNR to offer more user-friendly tools to their customers. All updates are available for the 2025 reporting season, including for reporting calendar year 2024 data.
The DNR also hosted a webinar to provide reminders on existing resources, orient attendees to new resources, bring awareness to noteworthy events and highlight ARS updates. In total, 420 people attended this webinar.
Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities
The DNR launched a new webpage to improve public access to information about Wisconsin's 11 licensed hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities. The webpage includes basic information about each facility, a summary of activities and links to documents submitted to the DNR as part of the licensing process.
New Resources Related to PFAS Surface Water Rules
The Wisconsin DNR Water Quality PFAS Initiative webpage serves as a central location for the public to learn about critical and ongoing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) initiatives, such as rule implementation, surface water and fish sampling and the biosolids interim strategy.
Most recently, the DNR created a new graphic (above) to aid in visualizing the differences in surface water criteria for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOS). The criteria were established based on what is known about the health impacts and environmental fate of each compound. PFOA criteria distinguish between public drinking water supply waterbodies and non-public drinking water supply waterbodies since ingestion is the primary route of exposure for PFOA. Since PFOS has also been demonstrated to bioaccumulate in fish, the criterion is more stringent and the same for all surface waterbodies to provide an appropriate level of protection.
Social Media Spotlight
Today is International E-Waste Day! This year, we're challenging you to find your “forgotten” e-waste and recycle it to reuse valuable materials.
The DNR celebrates America Recycles Day today, Nov. 15, by announcing the 13 organizations that won a 2024 Recycling Excellence Award.
- 6,960 impressions on Facebook
Cheers to 50 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act! So much work goes on behind the scenes to get a clean glass of water in your hands. It starts with the water professionals who keep our water safe and flowing.
- 4,498 impressions on LinkedIn
We're excited to share the results of a project we recently completed that reconnected fish habitat between Little Balsam Creek and Lake Superior. This project is part of a larger ongoing effort to restore fish and wildlife habitats in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.
Did you upgrade your electronics this holiday season? Don't just put your old phones, tablets or gaming devices in a drawer or closet to be rediscovered as ancient relics in 2030. And they shouldn't go in your recycling or trash bin, either.
- 52,789 impressions on Facebook