justnorth posted on August 29, 2007 18:38 :: 1594 Views
MADISON – Rules and recommendations aimed at getting a better handle on how much groundwater is pumped out of Wisconsin aquifers and at assuring trout streams and other high quality waters get the groundwater to sustain aquatic life take effect Sept. 1, 2007.
One of the rule’s benefits for Wisconsinites is to start getting a handle on how much groundwater is being pumped out of aquifers and who is doing the pumping, according to Larry Lynch, the Department of Natural Resources hydrogeologist who led development of the rule. The state has more than 9,000 high capacity wells and understanding how water is used and by whom is important for protecting that resource for all users.
The rules carry out a 2004 law that enjoyed broad, bipartisan legislative support and that state water officials have hailed as a first step in protecting the water resources that need protection.
A groundwater advisory committee jointly appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle and legislative leaders has issued recommendations on how to manage groundwater in areas already experiencing significant decreases in groundwater levels and is due to issue recommendations by the end of 2007 advising lawmakers on additional steps.
Under the rules, owners of all existing high capacity wells -- those which alone or together with other wells on the same property pump more than 100,000 gallons a day -- are required to report annually how much water they pump.
In addition, applicants for new high capacity wells are required to submit more information and face environmental review for wells proposed within 1,200 feet of a trout stream, a water body designated as an Exceptional Resource Water (ERW) or Outstanding Resource Water (ORW), springs with a minimum flow of one cubic foot per second for a least 80 percent of the time, and wells where 95 percent of the water produced is not returned to the Mississippi or Great Lakes drainage basins.
“Before these rules, the law required people to give us information only on how a well was built – there was no information about the possible impacts of a well on a nearby lake, river or springs,” says Lynch. “Now we’ll get that information and be in a better position to understand the wells’ impacts on the rivers, streams and lakes we so value in Wisconsin.”
Applicants for wells near trout streams and the other high quality waters covered by the law will need to submit information on stream width, depth, and flow, as well as a description of the stream channel. DNR hydrogeologists will evaluate the information and potential impacts.
Proposals that have the potential to impact protected resources will undergo an environmental assessment process. If necessary to protect rivers and streams, DNR will issue an approval limiting pumping, the schedule of operation and well construction requirements to make sure the well doesn’t impact the resource, Lynch says. If the well cannot be built without causing significant adverse impacts, DNR could deny the application.
Lynch expects that only a handful of wells will face the comprehensive environmental review process, stressing that the law only applies to new wells and applications to increase pumping in existing wells. The law does not apply to all existing wells.
“How this more comprehensive review process should be applied to existing wells or to new wells near other types of water bodies is a key subject for the Groundwater Advisory Committee to comment on in their report at the end of this year,” Lynch says.
The committee’s report will address whether other types of waters should join trout streams, some springs and ORW and ERW as protected waters.
DNR is already working with well owners to make voluntary changes to protect waters, including a Vernon County trout stream that has been affected by high capacity well pumping, which was the subject of a February 2007 Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine story.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Lynch (608) 267-7553; Barbara Hennings (608) 264-6021
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