% MONITORING WELLS ON HIS PROPERTY
% IS EXPECTED IN COURT OVER THE
% NEXT FEW MONTHS.
% AS WE JUST HEARD, SOME PRIVATE
% WELL OWNERS IN NELSONVILLE SAY
% THE RULES ARE THE PROBLEM AND
% CALL ON THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT
% OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR HELP IN
% ADDRESSING NITRATE CONTAMINATION
% THERE AND ACROSS THE STATE.
% WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO HELP AND
% WHAT MORE REMEDIATION IS IN THE
% OFFING?
% WE TURNED TO JIM ZELLMER, DEPUTY
% ADMINISTRATOR IN THE DNR'S
% ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
% DIVISION.%THANK YOU FOR BEIN
G HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO WE KNOW THE UPDATE TO THE
% DNR RULES FOR WATER QUALITY THAT
% WERE TO ADDRESS NITRATES IN
% AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO GROUNDWATER
% CONTAMINATION DID NOT HAPPEN.
% YET THAT IS WHAT CONCERNED
% PEOPLE IN PLACES LIKE
% NELSONVILLE ARE CALLING FOR.
% WHAT CAN YOU TELL THEM?
% >> SURE.
% AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE
% HAD STARTED THE RULEMAKING A
% COUPLE YEARS BACK AND BROUGHT
% STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER TO TRY TO
% ESTABLISH TARGETED PERFORMANCE
% STANDARDS FOR AREAS THAT ARE
% SUSCEPTIBLE TO GROUNDWATER
% CONTAMINATION.
% UN WE RAN OUT OF TIME.
% JUST COULD NOT REACH CONSENSUS
% WITH ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO
% MOVE THE RULE FORWARD.
% SO WE STOPPED OUR RULEMAKING.
% WE CONTINUED THE DISCUSSIONS
% WORKING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS ON
% MAKING PROGRESS.
% REALLY FOR THAT SHARED GOAL OF
% REDUCING NITRATE CONTAMINATION
% TO THE GROUNDWATER.
% >> HAS THAT WORKED, WORKING
% THROUGH IT EVEN IN THE ABSENCE
% OF THE ENACTMENT OF THOSE
% UPDATED RULES?
% >> YEAH, WE CONTINUE TO WORK
% WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND WE
% HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED.
% OBVIOUSLY WITH WORK WITH OUR
% SISTER AGENCY THE DEPARTMENT OF
% AG AND ALSO WITH THE UNIVERSITY
% OF WISCONSIN ON REALLY PROVIDING
% THE AGRI-BUSINESS WITH THE
% SCHOOLS THEY NEED TO PROPERLY
% MANAGE, TO APPLY THEIR
% FERTILIZER, BE IT EITHER IN
% COMMERCIAL OR MANURE TO MAKE THE
% MAXIMUM USE OF IT AND MAKE IT
% AVAILABLE FOR THE CROPS BUT NOT
% TO RESULT IN LEACHING TO THE
% GROUNDWATER.
% AND WE'VE SEEN SOME VERY GOOD
% SUCCESS WITH -- WE HAVE OUR
% DEPARTMENT OF AG HAS
% PRODUCER-LED WATERSHED GROUPS
% ACROSS THE STATE.
% WE HAVE WELL OVER 40 OF THESE
% GROUPS THAT ARE -- THIS IS
% REALLY FARMERS TALKING THE
% FARMERS.
% LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER WHAT
% WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T.
% WE'RE SEEING SOME GOOD SUCCESS
% WITH THAT.
% >> WOULDN'T IT BE IMPORTANT IN
% YOUR MIND TO HAVE THE UPDATED
% RULES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
% ATTAIN AND MAINTAIN CLEAN
% DRINKING WATER?
% OR ARE WE OKAY WHERE WE ARE WITH
% THE STATUS QUO?
% >> YEAH.
% WE CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THAT.
% WE'RE WORKING -- LIKE I SAID
% RIGHT NOW WITH OUR PARTNERS TO
% FURTHER THAT INITIATIVE.
% ALSO SPECIFICALLY TO, YOU KNOW,
% UP IN THE NELSONVILLE AREA WHERE
% YOUR REPORT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON,
% WE'RE JUST IN THE EARLY STAGES
% OF WORKING WITH THE PORTAGE
% COUNTY LAND AND WATER
% CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT TO
% DEVELOP A GEOGRAPHIC PLAN FOR
% THE WATERSHED TO LOOK AT THE
% CAUSES.% WE KNOW SOME OF TH
E CAUSES OF
% THE NITRATE CONTAMINATION AND
% THEN LOOK AT WHAT PRACTICES CAN
% BE PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THOSE
% PROBLEMS.%IN THAT PLAN WILL
BE MILESTONES
% AND THEN ALSO A CHECKING BACK
% AND REPORTING TO SEE WHAT'S
% WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT.
% AND THEN MOVING FORWARD TO, YOU
% KNOW, FIND PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES
% THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO
% REDUCE THE NITRATE
% CONTAMINATION.
% >> GIVEN EXPERTS DECLARE NITRATE
% CONTAMINATION IS WISCONSIN'S
% MOST COMMON GROUNDWATER
% CONTAMINANT ARE THESE
% CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING
% OPERATIONS GETTING NEW SCRUTINY?
% >> THEY CONTINUE TO GET
% SCRUTINY.
% THEY HAVE BEEN HEAVILY
% SCRUTINIZED AND CONTINUE TO BE
% SCRUTINIZED.
% WE'RE VERY ENCOURAGED BY A
% NUMBER OF THE CAFO'S, WE HAVE
% EIGHT NOW WORKING ON WASTE WATER
% TREATMENT FACILITIES FOR THEIR
% OPERATION AND WE ALSO HAVE A NEW
% ORGANIC BIO DIGESTER THAT HAS
% BEEN PUT IN OPERATION IN BROWN
% COUNTY THAT, I BELIEVE, BRINGS
% IN MANURE FROM 14 NEARBY FARMERS
% THAT THEY THEN TREAT THE MANURE
% AND THEN THEY TREAT THE -- THEY
% GENERATE GAS THAT IS PUT INTO
% OUR NATURAL GAS PIPING SO WE CAN
% USE IT TO HEAT OUR HOMES.
% ALSO THEY CONCENTRATE THE
% NITROGEN AND USE IT AGAIN FOR
% FERTILIZER AND THE SOLIDS CAN BE
% USED FOR BEDDING AND OTHER
% PURPOSES ON THE FARM.
% VERY ENCOURAGING SOME OF THE
% THINGS GOING ON.
% >> FOR PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM
% CONTAMINATED WELLS RIGHT NOW, I
% KNOW THERE IS A NEW WELCOME PEN
% -- WELL COMPENSATION PROGRAM.
% >> GOVERNOR EVERS ALLOTTED $10
% MILLION TO EXPAND THE WELL
% COMPENSATION PROGRAM THAT CAN BE
% USED FOR DRILLING A NEW WELL
% DEEPER TO FIND A SAFE SOURCE OF
% WATER OR CONNECTING TO A PRIVATE
% WELL OR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY OR
% TREATMENT.%WE REALLY ENCOURAG
E FOLKS.
% SO FAR WE'VE -- THERE IS ENOUGH
% MONEY THERE TO FUND IN EXCESS OF
% 1600 WELL REPLACEMENTS.
% SO FAR WE'VE ONLY HAD 40
% APPLICANTS.% SO WE REALLY E
NCOURAGE PEOPLE
% THAT ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS
% WITH THEIR PRIVATE WELLS, THAT
% THEY CONTACT US.
% THEY CAN GO ON OUR WEBSITE AT
% DNR.WI.GOV, TYPE IN WELL COMP AN
% THE FIRST THING THAT COMES UP
% WILL BE THE WELL COMPENSATION
% PROGRAM.
% ELIGIBILITY.
% AB
% ABLE -- APPLICATION PROCESS AND