Wisconsin Groundwater Research and Monitoring Program
Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council
Wisconsin is recognized as a national leader in groundwater research, which is appropriate given how uniquely important this resource is for public health, the economy and the environment in this state. For example:
- Wisconsin leads the nation in the number of public water systems that rely on groundwater.
- Over 97% of agricultural irrigation water and more than one-third of the water used for commercial and industrial purposes come from groundwater supplies.
- Many ecosystems in Wisconsin are strongly dependent on groundwater availability and groundwater quality.
Research Final Reports
Joint Solicitation For Groundwater Research And Monitoring Proposals
Wisconsin's reputation for groundwater research is largely due to the well-established joint solicitation process for groundwater research and monitoring projects. This approach streamlines proposal writing and the review process and improves communication among agencies and researchers. Discussions of some of the benefits derived from these projects and interagency collaboration are presented in the highlights of the GCC-funded research section of the GCC Report to the Legislature.
The Joint Solicitation takes place annually. The call for proposals is sent to potential investigators in the fall and evaluation of proposals occurs until researchers are notified in spring. Work begins the following July 1.
Groundwater Research Projects Funded During FY 2026
Title Investigators Contract Period Funding Agency Developing and testing a practical tool for estimating field-scale PFAS leaching behavior Michael Cardiff (PI, UW-Madison), Christopher Zahasky (Co-PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 DNR Evaluation of a three-decades-old problem: identifying temporal shifts and overlooked emerging mechanisms for arsenic mobilization in groundwater Athena Nghiem (PI, UW-Madison), Logan Goulette (Co-PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 DNR Source water protection: A survey of water systems' efforts and operator perspectives on risk and effectiveness James Price (PI, UW-Milwaukee) July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 DNR Restoring stream - floodplain – aquifer connectivity in drained peatlands: Quantifying effects of restoration on groundwater storage regimes and hydrologic exchanges Steven Loheide (PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 UWS Perceived health risks, averting behavior, and the value of improved groundwater quality James Price (PI, UW-Milwaukee), Tracy Boyer (Co-PI, UW-Milwaukee) July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 UWS Groundwater Research Projects Funded During FY 2025
Title Investigators Contract Period Funding Agency Elucidating how individual and mixtures of PFAS correlate to the extent of PFAS groundwater contamination: a toolkit for local and tribal health departments Gavin Dehnert, Anya Jeninga, Amy Wiersma (UW-Madison) July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 DNR Developing solutions for reducing nitrate leaching from dairy manure in corn silage systems Xia Zhu-Barker, Jingyi Huang, Matt Ruark (UW-Madison) July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 DNR Advanced statistical models for large datasets of pesticide and emerging contaminants in groundwater Hyunseung Kang, Christopher Zahasky (UW-Madison) July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 DATCP Effects of Great Lake water level fluctuations on groundwater and forests in ridge and swale ecosystems Steven Loheide (UW-Madison), Evan R. Larson (UW-Platteville), Dominick Ciruzzi (William & Mary) July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 UWS Impact of nitrate on biogeochemical processes controlling contaminant transport and transformation in a hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifer Matthew Ginder Vogel (UW-Madison), Beth Parker (University of Guelph), Jessica Meyer (University of Iowa) July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 UWS Groundwater Research Projects Funded During FY 2024
Title Investigators Contract Period Funding Agency Impact of solar farms on groundwater recharge Steven P Loheide II (PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 DNR The role of water table fluctuations on PFAS mobility in groundwater Christopher Zahasky (PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 DNR Evaluation of the potential for arsenic release in two cones of depression in northeastern Wisconsin Erin Berns-Herrboldt (PI, UW-Green Bay) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 DNR Long-term threat of geogenic contaminants to water quality and quantity in the Midwestern Cambrian Ordovician Aquifer System Matthew Ginder-Vogel (PI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 UWS An experimental investigation on the leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated soil Shangping Xu (PI, UW-Milwaukee), Yin Wang (Co-PI, UW-Milwaukee), Erin Berns-Herrboldt (Co-PI, UW-Green Bay) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 UWS Risk from pathogens and exposure to antibiotic resistance genes in private wells in Southwest WI Maureen Muldoon (PI, UW-Madison), Tucker Burch (AI, USDA), Joel Stokdyk (AI, USGS), Joe Bonnell (AI, UW-Madison) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 UWS Understanding the quality and rate of recharge on uncultivated landscapes under natural and enhanced conditions Michael Cardiff (PI, UW-Madison), David J. Hart (Co-PI, WGNHS) July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 DATCP All Groundwater Research Projects Funded FY 1985 to FY 2026
Final Reports
Information on specific projects is available.
- UW Water Resources Institute searchable repository [exit DNR] - final reports for projects funded by various state programs.
- UW-Madison searchable database [exit DNR] - project abstracts and final reports.
Funding Sources And Purposes Of Monitoring Or Research
UWS Groundwater Research
The UWS, through its UW-Madison Water Resources Institute (WRI), has received funding for groundwater research since FY '90. Projects may be fundamental or applied to selected aspects of groundwater research in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences or law. Projects have been co-funded with DNR, Commerce, DATCP and the National Institutes for Water Resources program (U.S. Geological Survey).
DNR Groundwater Monitoring And Research
The DNR has been funding groundwater “management practice monitoring” projects since FY '86. The intent of these studies, funded through the Groundwater Account of the Environmental Fund, was to identify appropriate management practices to reduce the impacts of potential sources of contamination. In recent years, the DNR has used funds from alternative state and federal sources and has targeted funds at specific issues of concern, including arsenic, emerging contaminants (viruses, antibiotics) and groundwater quantity. Several of these projects have been co-funded with DATCP, Commerce and/or UWS.
DATCP Pesticide Research
From 1989 to 2002, DATCP funded research on pesticide issues of regulatory importance. This funding came from fees paid by pesticide manufacturers to sell products in Wisconsin. Several of these projects have been co-funded with DNR and/or UWS. Starting in FY '03, these funds have not been available for new research.
DSPS Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Research
While part of the Department of Industry, Labor, and Human Relations, the Division of Safety & Buildings received an appropriation from 1990 to 1993 to fund research on alternatives to current private sewage-system technology. In 1994, when the appropriation expired, the division continued the program with funding generated through plan review and licensing fees under the Department of Commerce through 2002. In total, eight projects were funded. Two projects were co-funded with DNR and UWS. The division is now part of the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS).
Example of GRAC-funded project on Microbial Source Tracking.