Fox Valley Water Resources
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Transcript of Fox Valley Water Resources
Fox Valley Water Resources
What do we have to lose?
Recent wars have centered around our thirst for oil.
Next, it will be about water.
Pike River, Marinette County (Science Daily, Oct. 6, 2010)
Pine Lake, Washara County
Bear Paw Lake, Oconto County
Outstanding Resource Waters
A 102 pound sturgeon speared by Pat McCutcheon on Lake Winnebago. (Wisconsin State Journal)
The sturgeon is a unique species that people of a all stripes have fought to save.
Horicon Marsh
• Over 32,000 acres • Largest freshwater cattail marsh in the U.S.• Provides habitat for endangered species• Critical rest stop for thousands of migrating
ducks and Canada geese• Recognized as a Wetland of International
Importance, as both Globally and State Important Bird Areas, and as a part of the Ice Age Scientific Reserve
Two Different Threats To Water
1. Running out of water- a problem in parts of Wisconsin. Much worse in western states (i.e. Nevada)
Wisconsin’s primary threat=2. Poor quality of water
- Wisconsin has lots of water, but the pollution has lowered the quality
Looking across WI, many threats to water
Everything is connected. Insects support water life.Once the food web is disrupted, it’s hard to put back together.
Caddis Fly, important food source for trout, photo by: G.I. Bernard/ Oxford Scientific Films
What Contributes to Water Pollution?
Point sources, e.g. industrial and municipal discharges
Non-point sources, e.g. runoff from farms, lawns, carwashes, etc.• Food processors
• Overuse of pesticides • Lack of Water Conservation
• Agricultural Practices
CAFOs in the Fox Valley
1 dairy cow creates as much polluted wastewater as 18 people
CAFO =700 dairy cows
~2,500 feeder pigs~55,000 turkeys~125,000 chickens (other
than hens that lay eggs)
Farms with 1,000 animal units need a water protection permit.[1 dairy cow= 1.4 animal units]
Many Outstanding Water Resources…
Many Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
Wisconsin currently has 194 CAFOs
Many have the potential to pollute nearby water &
land resources,
Decrease Property Values,
And impact the quality of life for those living nearby
“CAFOs aren’t the natural result of agricultural progress, nor are they the result of rational planning or market forces.”
- Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in UCS’s Food and Environment Program
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/cafo-costs-report-0113.html
Wisconsin uses taxpayersubsidies to expand CAFOs
•In addition to indirect subsidies CAFOs receive in form of crop support and lack of accountability for externalities, direct subsides also encourage the proliferation of CAFOs
•At national level, perhaps largest single direct subsidy is Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), originally intended to help smell and medium-sized livestock farms address pollution issue
•2002: program’s emphasis changed dramatically, making CAFO’s a major funding recipient
What are some threats that can occur from expanded CAFOs?
•New EQIP regulation prioritizes activities that only CAFOs typically need to pursue, such as improvement waste storage facilities, comprehensive nutrient management plans, and transportation of manure tied to environmentally sound crop application rates
•From 1997-2005, taxpayer-subsidized grain prices saved CAFOs nearly $35 billion in animal feed
•Cattle operations that raise animals exclusively on pasture land do not benefit from the subsidy
• Threaten drinking water and aquatic habitats by spreading large volumes of untreated manure on vulnerable land
• Impact air quality by emitting toxic gases hydrogen sulfide and ammonia
• Threaten water supplies with contamination by antibiotics & hormones
• Put are family farms in jeopardy by flooding the market with milk
-when supply outweighs demand, the price per gallon drops
AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF MANAGEMENT
• http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/ag/Performance Standards Apply to All Farms- Manure management prohibitions- Nutriet management- Manure storage- Soil loss from fields next to lakes and riversLarger Livestock Farms Need Permits
Liquid Manure Disposal• Traditionally, manure spread in clumps across fields• Today, it’s often liquefied for easier handling
stronger odor, easier to reach waterways DNR says farmers are now more diligent in handling manure
• Accidents occur• Since 2002, DNR has documented 159 manure spills, although many go
unreportedi.e. March 2005: manure washed into 55-acre Jersey Valley Lake in Vernon County, visibility in lake went from 18 feet to less than one foot, ninety percent of the fish were killed
• Spill can also pollute wellsi.e. 2004, three children in Kewaunee County ill with E. coli baceteria after a farmer operating a CAFO spread manure near their home
Manure in water leads to algae blooms & fish kills
After manure enters a waterway, fast-growing algae quickly take up excess nutrients in the water, increasing the size and making a thick mat of algae on the water’s surface, an algae bloom.
As the bloom grows and covers more of the water’s surface, sunlight is blocked from the plants below. These plants are essential for fish habitat.
http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/ag/waterquality.htm
Bacteria and pathogens from manure make water unsafe for
recreation• Manure can contain bacteria/other organisms harmful to
humans if get in waterway or groundwater• Pathogens=problem when manure runs into lake, people swim• Illness if person/animal swallows water from contaminated
source• 20% of Wisconsin residents have private wells (not from
municipal drinking water treatment plant), more vulnerable• Fecal coliform often used as water quality measure of bacterial
contamination: coliform usually harmless but contains strands of E. coli can cause cholera and typhoid fever
• Cryptosporidium (sing-celled parasite) also found in manure responsible for an outbreak in Milwaukee’s drinking water
system in 1993
Phosphorus from manure affects water quality
• Generally, a water body’s phosphorus level determine how much plant and algae growth will occur
• Direct runoff of manure from fields or manure storage facilities are important management concerns
• If it rains after manure is spread on crop/fields, phosphorus may run off into nearby waterways instead of sinking into the ground
• Problematic if livestock has direct access to streams/ponds and the stream bank is not well vegetated– erosion may occur as well as runoff or “direct deposit”
• Algae bloom cycle begins as phosphorus enters water
Nitrogen from manure affects water quality and human health
• Excess nitrogen can have negative impacts• Key contributing factor to algae growth (fertilizing properties)• Excess in rivers/streams can be toxic to aquatic animals at
high levels• Concerns with groundwater contamination filters through soil easily, can enter drinking wells• 6.5% private wells in WI exceed safety standard of nitrate
Nitrogen and phosphorus levels CAN be reduced!
• excess nutrients applied to landscape• Prevent spills, runoff, and erosion from transporting those
nutrients into waterways• Streamside buffers• No-till farming • Livestock exclusion• Maintain good vegetation cover
not just field runoff, also urban runoff
Problematic CAFOs/ News Reports
Permitted and Proposed CAFOs• Rosendale• Stahl brothers- Kewaunee• Maple Ridge Dairy, Stratford farm
The Stahl Brothershttp://www.midwestadvocates.org/archive/Treml/index.htm
March 2004: Stahl Farm spread tens of thousands of gallons of animal waste on a field across the from the Tremls’ home every member of Treml family, including their seven month-old, became seriously ill from exposure to contaminated water
DNR records indicated the Stahl Farm had been discharging animal waste from its feedlot and waste spreading fields on an intermittent basis for more than 20 years
December 2005- Stahl Farm has a manure spillApril 2009- manure pit leakhttp://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_kewaunee_dnr_cleaning_up_manure_spill_200904161654_rev1
At least 100 thousand gallons
Maple Ridge DairyManure Spill 2002
Rich Wentzel of the Sierra Club led the enforcement effort• Operators spread 250,000 gallons liquid manure onto 32
acres frozen field in February near their Stratford farm in Marathon county
• Run-off pollution, onto neighbors land• Tributary feeding the Big Eau Pleine River• Purchased agricultural, vegetative buffers along banks of Big
Eau Pleine
http://www.wsn.org/factoryfarm/stratford_manure_spill.html
Rosendale Dairy of Fond du Lac County
gives public serious concerns
• Requested changes to their water quality protection permit to allow them to increase their number of dairy cows (from 4,000 to 8,000) and expand the amount of land they spread manure on (4,000 acres to 12,000 acres), revised permit was issued January 22, 2010
• “Permit contained most stringent water protections and most restrictive conditions”- DNR, http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/ag/permits.htm
• Summer 2010: number of citizens reported to the dairy farm intolerable odor from spreading fields
• Produces/stores over 90 million gallons of manure and wastewater each year
• The dairy stores the untreated manure in open lagoons before spreading it– still untreated– on area cropland
Other impacts from Rosendale’s operation:-emissions of ammonia (hazardous air pollutant), at levels higher
than the State standard -withdrawal of nearly 90 millions gallons of groundwater per year
from on-site, high-capacity wells-heavy truck traffic, estimated nearly 20,000 truck loads/year-construction and paving of over 100 acres of former cropland
http://www.midwestadvocates.org/archive/RosendaleDairy/index.htm
“Cows are milked on the $1 million, 80-stall rotary milking parlor at the Rosendale Dairy. It takes nine minutes for a cow to be milked once it steps onto the revolving platform.”
Mark Hoffman,JS Online, Feb. 28, 2009
JS Online, Feb. 28, 2009. Mark Hoffman
“The indoor manure pool is shown with about three feet of waste in it. The augers in the background are for recycling the sand that is used for the bedding in the barn.”
“Bulk milk tank trucks use these loading bays. If the dairy farm were fully operational it would produce enough to fill 11 tanker trucks of milk a day.” Mark Hoffman,
JS Online, Feb. 28, 2009http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/40490387.html
City of Ripon concerned
• Fear manure will spread into city wells, which are located within two miles of where Rosendale’s manure is spread
• Elaine and Severin Swanson, who live a mile from Rosendale, created a wildlife sanctuary to attract 100 different species of birds– air/water pollution could cause problems
Elaine and husband, Severin JuncoPhotos by Mark Hoffman, JS Online
Ripon presents opportunities
• Town of Ripon residents can participate in a well water sampling program sponsored by Fond du Lac County UW-Extension and the Town of Ripon.
• In past 20 years, 17% of wells sampled have been positive for bacteria
http://www.riponpress.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&ArticleID=2422
• Rosendale’s current permit at 11,500 animal units, want future expansion
• Rosendale Dairy’s Odor Management Plan is on file at the DNR office in Oshkosh
Murphy Oil Refinery
• Northern Wisconsin • Lake Superior• Using chemicals right on the shore
Nuclear Waste Storage
Can we trust the companies who store nuclear waste on banks of the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, etc.?
Many Threats…and Many Opportunities to Take
Action!
Local Groups & Outfitters
• For future collaboration!• Trout Unlimited
Accomplishments of the Sierra Club
-St. Croix River-PCBs in Fox River-Perrier-Exxon-Great Lakes Compact-Let’s add to that list!
Sierra Club on the Front Lines
A Proven Track Record of Protecting Wisconsin’s Water Resources
Grassroots efforts of 2001 resulted in plan released by the Environmental Protection Agency and the WI DNR to clan up dangerous polychlorinated biphenals (PCBs) from the Fox River
-plan applies a set of criteria required by Superfund regulations, and provides for the dredging of polluted sediments from parts of the Lower Fox River
A Proven Track Record of Protecting Wisconsin’s Water Resources
• Stopped Exxon’s plans to build a copper-zinc mine near Crandon worked for over two decades with large coalition of tribes and envtl orgs.
stopped toxic pollution at the headwaters of the pristine Wolf River
• 1972- helped to make the 150-mile St. Croix River one of the first eight rivers protected by federal Wild and Scenic River designation since then have successfully opposed construction of a massive mile-long bridge across St. Croix River, in favor of ecologically/economically alternatives while protecting the quality of the river and serving the needs of the growing population
A Proven Track Record of Protecting Wisconsin’s Water Resources
• Worked with local residents to halt Perrier’s plans to build a water-bottling plan in Adams County, WI
• Joined a nationwide boycott of the Nestle-owned corporation (overpumping of springs and sediment disturbance)
• Helped pass the historic Great Lakes Compact in 2008 (will help conserve/prevent water from being permanently diverted to other areas
Great Lakes Compact• Keeps water from being exported• Example of one policy that is a good thing for
now= Agreement: can’t divert water out of basin• Haven’t passed all rules to implement the
compact• Communities in watershed are to have
conservation requirements• Requirements are not consistent state wide, i.e.
wells
The Problem
Much Remains to be Done to Protect Wisconsin’s Water Resources
Let’s keep adding to the list of accomplishments by continuing our efforts to sustain these water resources and what they provide for future generations.
Be Proud
• Wisconsin is water rich, and citizens have fought to protect it
• Awareness• American Indian tribes help, know smart
resources; tribal rights• Efforts to conserve water
i.e. Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens
Rain Barrels• Conserves water• Good quality of water filtering occurs
before goes down storm drain• Runoff is not just from fields, urban runoff• Non-chlorinated water• Free water! • See lots of these in WI, yet water rich• Educate more on this method!
Rain Gardens
• Way to reduce nonpoint source pollution• Way for homeowners/businesses to
participate in reduction of polluted runoff• Water captured in garden has chance to
slowly filter into the ground rather than run off into storm sewer
Water MonitoringOur waters are monitored by state, federal, and local
agencies, universities, dischargers, and volunteers.Trained volunteers monitor the
condition of their local streams, lakes, estuaries, and wetlands.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) encourages all citizens to learn about their water resources and supports volunteer monitoring because of its many benefits.
Benefits of Volunteer Water Monitoring
• Builds community awareness of pollution problems
• Helps identify and restore problem sites• Become advocates for their watersheds• Increases the amount of needed water quality
information available on our waters
Water Action Volunteers, UWEX
• The citizen-based Water Monitoring Network includes three levels to satisfy the varied interests and time availability of citizens.
• Mission= to help and protect Wisconsin’s over 15,000 lakes and 84,000 miles of river.
watermonitoring.uwex.edu
UWEX Goals
1. That WI citizens will monitor stream & river health2. Support data sharing for edu. purposes3. Provide a network for volunteer groups, individuals, and
schools to interact4. Provide support for civic conservation and environmental
groups5. Help linkages between volunteer monitoring efforts &
public resources protection programs
UWEX Contact
Erin McFarlaneClean Boats Clean Waters ProgramCoordinatorUWEX Lake ProgramUW Stevens Point 800 Reserve St. College of Natural ResourcesStevens Point WI [email protected]
Bob DuBoisBiologistWisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources1401 Tower AveSuperior WI [email protected]
Kris StepenuckCitizen Stream Monitoring Program CoordinatorEnvironmental Resources Center445 Henry Mall, Rm 202Madison WI [email protected]
Lauren HermanCitizen Lake Monitoring Network EducatorWisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources107 Sutliff AvenueRhinelander WI 54501
Northeast RegionDNR Agricultural Runoff Management Staff
Green Bay Service CenterWisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources2984 Shawano AvenueGreen Bay, WI, 54307Fax: 920-662-5498
Agricultural Runoff Mgmt. Specialists:Amy Callis
Counties: Calument, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc
Amanda Owens:Counties: Marinette, Oconto, Shawano, Brown, Menominee
Oshkosh Service CenterWisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources625 E. County Road Y, Suite 700Oshkosh, WI, 54901
Agricultural Runoff Mgmt. Specialist:Casey Jones
Counties: Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Outagamie, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago