Bill would restrict DNR’s ability to determine some impoundments are navigable waters, exempt those waters from many water quality protections By Wisconsin Lakes staff A bill set for separate hearings by both Senate and Assembly committees on Tuesday, Nov 28 would restrict the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in certain circumstances from determining that a lake […]
FULL SENATE TO VOTE ON MEASURE IN SEPTEMBER October 27, 2017 By Wisconsin Lakes Staff A long awaited Senate vote on a bipartisan bill that would provide financial assistance to families in need of replacing contaminated wells is now set for Nov 7. SB168, whose Assembly companion, AB226, already passed on a voice vote in […]
A Wisconsin Counties Association proposal to further to make shoreland zoning voluntary is bad policy for Wisconsin and should stay out of the state budget July 3, 2017 By Michael Engleson, Executive Director With the legislature still working out the details on a solution to education and transportation funding, time remains for citizens to register […]
Could Shoreland Zoning become voluntary for counties? A recent rumor gaining traction across the state involves a new proposal to roll back shoreland zoning even further that would, among other things, remove from state law the requirement for counties to enact and enforce a shoreland zoning ordinance. The proposal, attributed to Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam […]
No debate or amendments in Senate committee vote on groundwater bill (SB76) By Michael Engleson, Executive Director There’s no debate that Wisconsin is extraordinarily rich in water resources. There’s no debate that our surface waters are fundamentally connected to our groundwater, and that overuse of the latter can have unintended consequences on the quantity and […]
Bill that would create a virtual right to pump for high cap wells sees 9am hearing on March 15 in the Capitol. Can it be fixed? A bill loosening regulations on high capacity wells in Wisconsin will be heard in a public hearing scheduled for Wed, March 15 at the State Capitol in Madison. The […]
Hearings in Madison on Tue, Feb 14 and in Green Bay on Thr, Feb 16. Written comments due March 3. By Wisconsin Lakes staff Considerable concern has been raised among lakefront property owners regarding the negative impact of the ease of obtaining authorization to dredge near the shore under a proposed general permit being considered […]
DNR Proposes General Permit for Small Scale Dredging in Lakes By Michael Engleson, Wisconsin Lakes In the last legislative session, one of the large pot pourri property rights bills dealing with water included a provision that directed the Department of Natural Resources to issue a general permit that would have allowed a riparian landowner to […]
Living in a time of seemingly constant change By Michael Engleson, Executive Director It is often said that the only constant in the world is change. The last few years have provided particularly strong evidence for the truth of that nugget of wisdom, and little suggests the pace of change will slow as we head […]
Listening session scheduled for Eau Claire By Wisconsin Lakes staff Tuesday night in Eau Claire, members of the public are invited to come and share their thoughts and concerns about the implementation of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act in Wisconsin to the Administrator of US EPA’s Region V, Robert Kaplan. Administrator […]