Priority Objectives

Water Program Annual Report

People & Resources

Water Programs

Water Division Objective:

Pensaukee Lakes, Shawano Co. August 5, 2000. E.J. Judziewicz.
Pensaukee Lakes, Shawano Co. August 5, 2000. E.J. Judziewicz.

To fully implement the Clean Water Act to achieve fishable and swimmable waters throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's history of progressivism is reflected in the value its citizens, legislature, and public institutions place upon upholding the fundamental concept that water in the state should be held to the federal Clean Water Act Goal of fishable and swimmable. Toward this end, the driving goals of the program include:

  • Protect water quality by ensuring that permits are issued to municipalities and industries on a timely basis and include limitations and special conditions that control and limit the amount of pollutants discharged and appropriately respond to permit noncompliance.
  • Protect water quality by ensuring that agricultural discharge permits are issued in a timely basis and include limitations and special conditions that control and limit the amount of pollutants that are discharged by confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and evaluate and respond to permit noncompliance.
  • Protect water quality and human health by developing and implementing new and revised water quality standards using sound scientific principles and considering input from the general public and stakeholder groups. Additional research and scientific studies provide new information on the impacts of pollutants on human health, aquatic life, habitat and wildlife. EPA and the general public expect and require that Wisconsin and all other states periodically update water quality standards to maintain water quality protections. Water quality standards changes may impact effluent limits in discharge permits and NPS best management practices that are needed to protect state waters
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  • Protect water quality by implementing a water sampling, monitoring and evaluation program that is science based and statistically defensible. Analyze data and information generated by the monitoring program to support regulatory, policy and other management decisions made by the Department and to inform stakeholders and the general public of the condition of Wisconsin Waters.
  • Protect water quality and federal funding to the program by updating the impaired waters list (Section 303d of the Federal Clean Water Act) and completing total maximum daily loads (TMDL) for state waters.
  • Protect and restore water quality by improving compliance with stormwater permitting requirements
  • Protect and restore water quality by decreasing the occurrence and volume of sanitary sewer overflows (SSO).
  • Protect and restore water quality by implementing best management practices design to achieve performance standards that limit nonpoint source water pollution.
    • Last Revised: Friday February 29 2008