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CSWAC promotes sustainable groundwater policies using sound, science-based management in a fair, equitable manner that includes all water users.

Clean Water Lobby Day a Hit

Nearly 300 people joined 60 conservation organizations on January 30 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison and then trekked to the Capitol to lobby their legislators on water quality legislation.  “It was a standing room only crowd almost as soon as the day began. Yet somehow it felt like one of our most intimate lobby days yet,” according to Kerry Schumann, Director of the nonpartisan Wisconsin Conservation Voters. Kerry also reported that “The high attendance, the well-informed conservation voters, and the camaraderie and fellowship were inspiring. And, an additional shout out to the more than 160 folks who emailed their legislators yesterday, too!” THANK YOU for all who attended the event.

Senate District 24, represented by Sen. Patrick Testin and which covers most of the Central Sands, was particularly well represented by more than 30 of your friends and fellow water advocates.  (Senator Olsen’s District 14 was also well represented.)

The meeting with Sen. Testin was also attended by Rep. Scott Krug of Nekoosa.  Like all attendees, the group lobbied on behalf of three water quality issues, against a fourth, and then had a period of open discussion.  Sen. Testin and Rep. Krug were cautiously to quite supportive of (1) increasing funding for county conservation offices which have been hurt by past funding cuts, (2) approaches to more aggressively addressing PFAS pollution, and (3) requiring lead water testing in schools and other facilities that serve youth.



The bill we were lobbying against, SB 708 / AB 794 would add an additional 42 days of delay to the 30 month process of setting pollution standards for new chemicals found in groundwater.  Rep. Krug defended his co-sponsorship of the bill with some rationale that some found confusing.

During open discussion we asked for support of two initiatives that are small steps in the battle for reducing nitrate and other farm pollution, assistance to farmers for conservation and a nitrate pollution reduction pilot program.   We also thanked the legislators for helping to shake loose the funding to complete the Central Sands Groundwater study and let them know we are still concerned about pumping impacts on lakes and streams, which can be expected when record precipitation amounts become normal again.
Shankland Backs Water Efforts

Citizen lobbyists also gathered with Rep. Katrina Shankland and staff.  Shankland backs Lobby Day initiatives, opposes adding delay to groundwater standard setting, and supports the water-friendly bills that came out of the Water Quality Task Force.  She laid out an ambitious legislative water agenda that, she says, has little chance of getting a hearing, but sets a marker for future action.  Details are available on bills that would help those with nitrate polluted wells and fund county-based well testing and outreach education.
 
Citizen water lobbyists meeting with Rep. Katrina Shankland
Krug Puzzles on Groundwater Standards Delay Bill

During Water Quality Lobby Day Rep. Scott Krug defended his co-sponsorship of an industry-backed bill (AB 794 / SB 708) that adds delays to the standard setting process for groundwater pollutants.

How groundwater pollution standards are set was part of Wisconsin’s landmark 1984 groundwater quality law that regulates how much of a pollutant can be discharged to groundwater.  Standards are based on risk to human health, as groundwater is the source of drinking water for 2/3 of Wisconsin’s population.  The standard setting process was written with broad by-partisan and stakeholder support to be science-based and free of political overreach.

The process served Wisconsin well until 2007, when Monsanto convinced Rep. Scott Gunderson to block the standard for the corn herbicide alachlor – a pollutant that was showing up in 28% of Wisconsin wells!  Since then, politics have dominated what ought to be a cut-and-dried process for protecting human health - Wisconsin has gone a decade without setting standards for newly identified pollutants.

The standard-delay bill would add two more 21-day public comment periods to the already long 30-month process that includes abundant opportunity for public comment.



Rep. Krug explained his rationale for the bill was twofold:  First, $130 million was wasted, he claimed, on cleaning up phosphorus in wastewater discharges to the Wisconsin River.  Second, if an industry was pumping PFAS polluted groundwater into its processes, it would have to clean up that PFAS pollution before discharging that water to a lake or stream.  We have not been able to find record of the $130 million Wisconsin River waste, and Rep. Krug was unable to say how standards for how much groundwater pollution is allowable translates to an entirely different set of standards for wastewater treatment.  We reached out to Rep. Krug for clarification but have not yet heard back.

CSWAC’s position is that the current standard setting process should be left alone and that adding delay to an already long process is counter-productive to the goal of protecting human health.
Advocacy Ask - Assembly and Senate Legislators for your District

Contact your own state legislator and ask them to oppose AB 794 / SB 708.  Below is an example provided by River Alliance-Wisconsin in their January 28, 2020 Action Alert:

I am opposed to Senate Bill 708 and Assembly Bill 794 because they are a step in the wrong direction to protect Wisconsin's waters. The current process to set groundwater standards is already long enough, the process should not be slowed down. People's health is at stake.

The changes in these bills will also allow industry undue influence of Dept. of Health Sciences/DHS's work. Groundwater standards need to remain independent of industry influence. All interested parties are already given plenty of opportunity to provide input once the lengthy rule making process begins.

I ask that you oppose these bills and allow the current process to stay in place.


To find your state Representative and state Senator, their contact information can easily be found by entering your home address into the “Who Are My Legislators” search box on the right side of the Wisconsin State Legislature Homepage: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ and click on “Find Your Legislator".
 
In this Newsletter:
  • Clean Water Lobby Day a Hit
  • Shankland Backs Water Efforts
  • Krug Puzzles on Groundwater Standards Bill
  • Advocacy Ask
Coming Up: 
  • CSWAC Steering Committee Meeting February 23, 2020, 1 PM - 3 PM, Anna Follette Memorial Community Center, Coloma WI 54930
For more information: 
Visit our website at http://centralsandswater.org
Like us on Facebook
CSWAC contacts:
Skip Hansen - Chair
Francie Rowe - Legislation
Marty Wilke - Communication/Membership
Email address: info@centralsandswater.org

Contact your group representative!
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Copyright © 2020 Central Sands Water Action Coalition, All rights reserved.


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