Water
From Wiscopedia
Contents |
[edit] Where do Progressives Stand?
- We stand by the Clean Water Act, whose objective is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.”
- We must take collective responsibility for a shared resource because it is understood that everyone needs to use the same systems of water.
- We must maintain public safety without damaging the ecosystems that are present within our water systems already.
[edit] Hot Topics
[edit] Groundwater is running but not in the right direction…
With so many new housing developments opening up, there is a lot more drag being created on the groundwater system. The water tables aren’t changing but the amount of people that are using them are. This may not be a serious problem right now, but it is a problem that we will have to face in the future, and at that time it will be a very serious problem and also it may be too late to solve. So, it is very important that we work now to ensure that our groundwater can continue to provide for all. This would include finding a solution and implementing that solution. (See article, Lisa Gaumnitz, Tim Asplund and Megan R. Matthews, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, 2004.06)
[edit] We have a mess to clean up
There was a long period of time where people did nothing for the environment around them, especially during the industrial revolution. So, it is our responsibility now to repair those past generations’ damages to our lakes, and before the damage become impossible to repair. Lakes that have ecosystems that are unable to contain themselves must be brought back up to health so they can survive on their own, and we must not do any damage ourselves do any ecosystems today. (See article, Stephen R. Carpenter, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Resilience Alliance, 2000)
[edit] Summer homes
Those that enjoy having their homes along lakes and other waterways have an extra burden to bear. An increased human presence burdens an ecosystem sometimes to the point of extinction. The DNR has set up rules to follow, but these change often and are hard to enforce. As progressives we know what it is to be a good and responsible citizen. We can make sure we are well informed and can do our best to make sure that our homes are as lake friendly as possible. (See article, Randall J. Hunt, Steven R. Greb, and David J. Graczyk, U.S. Geological Survey, 2006)
[edit] In the News
Evaluating the effects of nearshore development on Wisconsin lakes.The rapid rate of shoreline development in Wisconsin has raised concerns that future development may impair water quality in lakes. Development can increase runoff volume as well as sediment and pollutant loads. Surface runoff, reduced ground-water recharge, and lake impact are interrelated, and movement of water between these systems varies seasonally or even daily depending on changing conditions. The rest of the article contains an experiment and the results of that experiment testing this problem and discussing its implications. [Randall J. Hunt, Steven R. Greb, and David J. Graczyk, U.S. Geological Survey, 2006]
A growing thirst for groundwater.“With 1.2 million billion gallons of groundwater, as well as the Mississippi River and two Great Lakes, there isn’t any other state that has anything like it,” says Jill Jonas, who directs the state’s drinking water and groundwater program. “It’s not that we don’t have enough water, but in a growing number of places, we’re pumping groundwater faster than it can recharge. There are areas in the state where streams aren’t running and where springs aren’t flowing because the groundwater that feeds them is being drawn dry by people.” [Lisa Gaumnitz, Tim Asplund and Megan R. Matthews, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, 2004.06]
Arsenic and northeastern Wisconsin.Arsenic has been a concern in this region of Wisconsin ever since elevated levels showed up in groundwater samples collected by the DNR staff in the late 1980s. Arsenic is a primary drinking contaminant that poses serious health concerns. It has been responsible for significant health problems throughout the world. Arsenic concentrations have not only been showing increasing trends in the [northeastern Wisconsin] region, but have also increased dramatically increased in wells. [David M. Johnson and Tom Riewe, Water Well Journal, 2006.06]
Resilience and Restoration of Lakes.This article discusses what will happen if we allow our lakes to continue to degrade, what is needed to restore them, and the benefits of doing so. Lake water quality and ecosystem services are normally maintained by several feedbacks. Among these are nutrient retention and woody habitat production by riparian forests, food web structures that channel phosphorus to consumers rather than phytoplankton, and biogeochemical mechanisms that inhibit phosphorus recycling from sediments. In degraded lakes, these resilience mechanisms are replaced by new ones that connect lakes to larger, regional economic and social systems. New controls that maintain degraded lakes include runoff from agricultural and urban areas, absence of wetlands and riparian forests, and changes in lake food webs and biogeochemistry that channel phosphorus to blooms of nuisance algae. [Stephen R. Carpenter, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Resilience Alliance, 2000]
[edit] Facts and Figures
- The United States draws more than 40 billion gallons, or 151 billion liters, of water from the Great Lakes every day, half of which is used for electrical power production.
- Almost 3 percent of Wisconsin’s area, nearly a million acres, is lakes.
- There are 2,444 trout streams in Wisconsin.
- With 28 lakes, the Eagle River chain of lakes in Wisconsin is the largest in the world.
- Fishermen catch about 67 million fish a year from Wisconsin waters, including more than 500,000 Great Lakes trout and salmon.
- Wisconsin’s power and water utilities spend about $5 million annually trying to protect water intakes from zebra mussels.
- Seven in ten Wisconsinites and 97 percent of the state’s inland communities depend on groundwater for their water supply.
- More than 800 toxic contaminants have been identified in Great Lakes water and sediment.
- Fifteen Wisconsin municipalities must treat their water to reduce nitrate levels.
- Unnaturally high concentrations of arsenic have been found in 23 of the state’s 72 counties.
- In 2002, Wisconsin issued a statewide advisory for mercury in all of its inland waters.
[edit] Organizations
Water Conservation Agenda Contains Governor Doyle’s agenda for water conservation in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wisconsin policy and action on water preservation, protection, and conservation.
Wisconsin Water Association The WWA’s mission is: “To ensure a safe, reliable, and environmentally responsible drinking water by providing education, timely information, and networking opportunities for our membership and the Wisconsin drinking water community at large.”
Wisconsin’s Water Library Contains request forms for publications on key water issues in Wisconsin for free.
Zebra Mussel Watch Your resource for identifying, reporting and preventing the spreading of zebra mussels.
