State agencies and the University of Wisconsin address numerous issues related to groundwater protection and management. Here are highlights and detailed discussions of the groundwater management activities of each agency, the Universities of Wisconsin, the Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) and the Governor's representative.
Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC)
Guolong Liang (left) and Anna Mitchell (right) from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division
of Extension presenting their research posters.
/ Photo credit: Wisconsin DNR
Highlights
Five two-year groundwater research projects were selected for funding through the GCC Joint Solicitation process.
Two groundwater teacher workshops were held during the year. DNR staff worked with the UW-Stevens Point's Center for Watershed Science and Education and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) to provide training to more than 20 educators from schools and nature centers. Each attendee received a free groundwater model for their school or facility.
DNR Drinking Water and Groundwater (DG) staff overseeing private well installation. / Photo credit: Wisconsin DNR
Highlights
Governor Evers directed an additional $5 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Well Compensation and Well Abandonment Grant Program to the DNR to assist private well owners in addressing contamination in their wells.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program provided funding to small Other Than Municipal and nonprofit Non-Transient Non-Community public water systems to address PFAS contamination in drinking water through treatment, source replacement, system consolidation and other eligible activities.
Gov. Evers signed Act 201, which created several new grant programs to help Wisconsin's communities address PFAS contamination, especially in drinking water, and Act 200, which provides the funding for these new grant programs.
State drinking water standards for PFAS and Lead & Copper Rule Revisions were published.
State groundwater quality standards are being updated as part of a continuing commitment to protect public health, public welfare and the environment.
Department Of Agriculture, Trade And Consumer Protection (DATCP)
Field edge groundwater monitoring. / Photo credit: Wisconsin DATCP
Highlights
Analyzed 318 groundwater and 142 surface water samples for more than 100 pesticide compounds and nitrogen (as nitrate plus nitrite).
Partnered with the Department of Health Services’ Wisconsin State Biomonitoring Program to provide private well water testing to over 100 participants in the program.
Performed annual sampling of field edge monitoring wells located on or near agricultural fields.
Administered a Commercial Nitrogen Optimization pilot program designed to encourage agricultural producers to develop innovative approaches to optimize the application of commercial nitrogen for a duration of at least two growing seasons, helping to protect vital soil and water resources.
DHS staff presenting about PFAS at a conference.
/ Photo credit Wisconsin DHS
Highlights
DHS’ Groundwater and Drinking Water program continued to support private well users and local partners through the fee-exempt testing with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, program evaluation and new public health tools aimed at improving drinking water safety. Key efforts included administering private well testing kits in response to severe flooding across the state; evaluating the Wisconsin Well Testing Access Program to strengthen equitable access to no-cost testing and launching Be Well Informed, a new online tool to help Wisconsin private well users better understand their drinking water test results.
DHS’ Site Evaluation and Groundwater and Drinking Water programs worked closely with the DNR to support contamination site investigations across Wisconsin through technical assistance, health assessments, outreach and community education. Their efforts focused on evaluating and reducing exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chlorinated compounds, volatile organic compounds and metals by assessing exposure pathways and providing recommendations to protect impacted communities.
Dane County salt storage./ Photo credit: Wisconsin DOT
Highlights
Researched the effectiveness of brine chemicals and brine application rates for varying weather conditions in partnership with Clear Roads (National Research Consortium) and the UW Traffic and Safety Laboratory (TOPS Lab).
Thirty counties used direct liquid application and some mostly liquid route last season.
Brine application techniques showed significant reduction in overall salt use while maintaining clear roads and level of service for the traveling public.
Over 20.2 million gallons of brine solution were used on the state highway network, setting a record for the most in Wisconsin history.
Department Of Safety And Professional Services (DSPS)
Installing a private on–site wastewater treatment
system (POWTS), or septic system. / Photo credit: Wisconsin DSPS
Highlights
Counties operated a maintenance program for all private on-site wastewater treatment systems (POWTS) in their jurisdiction.
Continued offering training programs for the POWTS industry. This included monthly DSPS POWTS program updates provided virtually, technical training and inspector training targeting new county inspection staff.
The DSPS suspended use of the hydrograph procedure used in the POWTS soil and site evaluation process due to erratic groundwater fluctuations causing unpredictable results with utilizing the method. The method was only allowed to be used in five Wisconsin counties in the Central Sands region. DSPS continues to evaluate the procedure and develop appropriate protocols for removing the suspension along with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and the POWTS Technical Advisory Committee.
Water Resources Institute-funded researcher analyzing PFAS chemicals in her lab./ Photo credit: Bonnie Willison
Highlights
Supported four groundwater research projects as part of the Wisconsin Groundwater Research and Monitoring Program.
Coordinated the Request for Proposals and the review process for the Joint Solicitation for the Wisconsin Groundwater Research and Monitoring Program and supported new groundwater research projects.
Supported three Water Resources Science-Policy post-graduate fellows in partnership with DHS, DATCP and the DNR to work on state priority groundwater and surface water challenges, including groundwater toxicology focused on PFAS and atrazine and fish habitat in lakes. The Water Resources Institute also leveraged Aquatic Sciences Center funding to support six additional post-graduate fellows working on coastal hazards, coastal wetlands and Great Lakes water policy.
Supported the annual Wisconsin Chapter of the American Water Resources Association meeting. The Wisconsin Water Library and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey continue to post digital copies of the meetings’ proceedings from 1978 to the present on a UW-Madison library website to make the water science material widely available.
Began work on a statewide water-table map for Wisconsin.
Monitored groundwater levels and quality at the Bend Copper-Gold Deposit site and investigated conditions leading to groundwater flooding in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest.
Evaluated groundwater contributions to Wisconsin's Lake Superior coastal wetlands.
Completed monitoring to assess the impact of NR151 regulations in Calumet and Door counties and updated depth-to-bedrock mapping in eastern Wisconsin in support of NR151 and ATCP50 regulations.
Steve Diercks, the Governor's Representative to the GCC and his son Andy on their farm in Coloma. / Photo credit: WPVGA
Highlights
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Water Task Force provided funding for a multi-year project led by Dr. Mallika Nocco, assistant professor and Extension specialist in agrohydrology within the UW-Madison Biological Systems Engineering Department. Dr. Nocco’s research will measure 15 years of actual evapotranspiration in the Central Sands using Eddy covariance, drones and satellite data.
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Water Task Force funded research by Dr. Steven Hall, assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences. His project is titled "Expanding On-Farm Nitrate Leaching Measurements to Evaluate Innovative Practices." Dr. Hall will evaluate the potential of resin lysimeters (a simple, low-cost sampling method) to measure nitrate leaching in on-farm trials in comparison with equilibrium tension lysimeters (a well-accepted but complex and expensive method). Developing feasible and cost-effective methods to measure nitrate losses is critical for informing the adoption of effective management practices that benefit the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the potato industry and the Central Sands region.
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Water Task Force also contributed funding toward a project led by Dr. Inna Popova, assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, titled "Impacts of Jumping Worms on Nitrogen Leaching in Organic Potato Production Systems." Jumping worms accelerate the breakdown of organic matter and alter nitrogen cycling, often resulting in excessive nitrate release and leaching. The goal of this research is to generate foundational data on nitrogen leaching risk and amendment efficacy, enabling growers to make informed decisions about nutrient management and soil restoration in systems affected by jumping worm invasion.
