Ground Water
WGF analyses primarily about ground water quantity, high capacity wells, and water use. Also see the agriculture category for WGF work on nitrates in ground water. This work is developed by WGF’s Water Resources and Environmental Rules Work Group.
WGF Comments on DNR’s PFOAS Guidance
Responding to WDNR Draft Guidance for PFOA and PFAS in Water
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is developing guidance for minimization plans of wastewater treatment systems regarding two of the most common forms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. Those two forms include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). …
Read More >Discussing PFAS with Gov. Evers
by Meleesa Johnson, WGF Executive Director
Governor Tony Evers (left) and WGF Executive Director Meleesa Johnson (right) in Marshfield, March 14, 2024
On March 14th, I was proud to represent Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) at an event in Marshfield to discuss PFAS funding with Governor Tony Evers. PFAS are the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances famous …
Read More >Wisconsin’s Green Fire and Partners Equip Local Leaders to Address PFAS in Wisconsin Communities
When Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg had to deal with the crisis of responding to PFAS contamination detected throughout Wausau’s drinking water supply in 2022, she was fortunate to be able to turn to her family friend and mentor John Robinson. John is a former Wausau Mayor and a former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) …
Read More >Nitrogen in Wisconsin Waters and Health Effects of Nitrate in Drinking Water – WGF Videos
Nitrogen in Wisconsin Waters and Health Effects of Nitrate in Drinking Water – WGF members presenting on nitrogen in Wisconsin waters and the health effects of nitrate in drinking water.
Read More >Nitrates in Wisconsin Waters – A Wisconsin’s Green Fire Policy Analysis
While Wisconsin has among the finest freshwater resources in North America, an increasingly large number of Wisconsin communities, homes, schools, and businesses find their water sources unsafe to drink. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan was a wake-up call about the hazards of water supplies we once assumed would always be safe. The total scope of the water quality crisis in Wisconsin today is much larger however than one community or one region. Wisconsin needs a drinking water solution equal to the magnitude of the problem. This paper lays out elements of that solution.
Read More >High Capacity Well Impacts on Wisconsin’s Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands
Revised June 3, 2020
Wells pump groundwater, which in Wisconsin is usually strongly connected to local lakes, streams, and wetlands. When groundwater is pumped, water levels in aquifers (the rock and soil that holds groundwater) drop, as do the levels of water in connected surface waters and the groundwater flows that support them. The effects of …
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