It's Time to Step Up Protections of Our Groundwater and Drinking Water
- by: Clean Wisconsin
- recipient: Wisconsin State Legislature
Now is the time to step up protections for our groundwater and drinking water, not roll them back.
It's been 10 years since the Wisconsin State Legislature passed the first groundwater protections laws in Wisconsin. At that time, the authors took a forward-thinking approach to establish basic regulations, but considered it a first step and were prepared to do more to defend our precious water resources.
They were right. Today, those old groundwater protection laws are inadequate. Dried-up rivers, mud-front property and unsafe drinking water are realities for many Wisconsin residents because of over-pumping by high-capacity wells and polluted runoff from farms and industries.
What's worse is that legislators and special interests keep trying to chip away at our current protections. While we've successfully defeated many of their efforts in the last year and two administrative court decisions recently ruled in favor of protecting our water, legislative leadership has indicated that weakened groundwater and drinking water protections will be a top priority in the next session.
It's time to get to work enacting laws that protect our groundwater and drinking water, not roll back important, basic protections. Please sign this petition and urge Wisconsin lawmakers to protect our groundwater and drinking water today.
It's been 10 years since the Wisconsin State Legislature passed the first groundwater protections laws in Wisconsin. At that time, the authors took a forward-thinking approach to establish basic regulations, but considered it a first step and were prepared to do more to defend our precious water resources.
They were right. Today, those old groundwater protection laws are inadequate. Dried-up rivers, mud-front property and unsafe drinking water are realities for many Wisconsin residents because of over-pumping by high-capacity wells and polluted runoff from farms and industries.
What's worse is that legislators and special interests keep trying to chip away at our current protections. While we've successfully defeated many of their efforts in the last year and two administrative court decisions recently ruled in favor of protecting our water, legislative leadership has indicated that weakened groundwater and drinking water protections will be a top priority in the next session.
It's time to get to work enacting laws that protect our groundwater and drinking water, not roll back important, basic protections. Please sign this petition and urge Wisconsin lawmakers to protect our groundwater and drinking water today.
Dear Legislator,
In the forthcoming legislative session, I urge you to adopt legislation to strengthen, not weaken, protections for Wisconsin’s groundwater and drinking water.
When the first groundwater protection bill passed in 2004, it was meant to be a first step, and huge gaps in the law remain. However, 10 years later citizens are desperately waiting for the next step to prevent their waterfront property from drying up and their favorite trout streams from running dry.
Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers are drying up, and neighbors are concerned about over-pumping by high-capacity wells. Now, the issue is in the courts, and they continue to agree: We need to protect our groundwater. In the last few weeks, we've had two great administrative court decisions that support groundwater protections, reaffirming the DNR has the authority and duty to protect our groundwater when it comes to high-capacity wells and over-pumping.
Across the state over the last two years, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites have spoke up, calling for stronger protections. Despite this and the fact that last session’s Senate Bill 302 was defeated because it was a massive rollback of existing protections, legislative leaders have promised to again make groundwater legislation a priority in this upcoming legislative session. But with 40% more high-capacity wells in Wisconsin than just three years ago, we should be giving residents more tools to protect and preserve their groundwater and drinking water, not taking away the few tools we have.
While Wisconsin struggles and actually considers rollbacks to the few groundwater protections we do have, both Minnesota and Michigan have established ways to provide sustainable groundwater resources for all users. They’ve also funded programs that allow for a robust and ecologically protective process for issuing high-capacity well permits.
To move forward and take the next step toward groundwater protection, future legislation should take into account four critical core principles:
1. Groundwater management and permitting must be based on science
2. Help for citizens and waterways that are currently being impacted by over-pumping
3. Prevent problems caused by over-pumping of groundwater in the future
4. Cannot rollback protections provided by the courts
[Your comments here]
Now is the time to get serious about protecting our water. Please work to enact laws that protect our groundwater and drinking water, not roll back important, basic protections.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sign PetitionSign PetitionIn the forthcoming legislative session, I urge you to adopt legislation to strengthen, not weaken, protections for Wisconsin’s groundwater and drinking water.
When the first groundwater protection bill passed in 2004, it was meant to be a first step, and huge gaps in the law remain. However, 10 years later citizens are desperately waiting for the next step to prevent their waterfront property from drying up and their favorite trout streams from running dry.
Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers are drying up, and neighbors are concerned about over-pumping by high-capacity wells. Now, the issue is in the courts, and they continue to agree: We need to protect our groundwater. In the last few weeks, we've had two great administrative court decisions that support groundwater protections, reaffirming the DNR has the authority and duty to protect our groundwater when it comes to high-capacity wells and over-pumping.
Across the state over the last two years, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites have spoke up, calling for stronger protections. Despite this and the fact that last session’s Senate Bill 302 was defeated because it was a massive rollback of existing protections, legislative leaders have promised to again make groundwater legislation a priority in this upcoming legislative session. But with 40% more high-capacity wells in Wisconsin than just three years ago, we should be giving residents more tools to protect and preserve their groundwater and drinking water, not taking away the few tools we have.
While Wisconsin struggles and actually considers rollbacks to the few groundwater protections we do have, both Minnesota and Michigan have established ways to provide sustainable groundwater resources for all users. They’ve also funded programs that allow for a robust and ecologically protective process for issuing high-capacity well permits.
To move forward and take the next step toward groundwater protection, future legislation should take into account four critical core principles:
1. Groundwater management and permitting must be based on science
2. Help for citizens and waterways that are currently being impacted by over-pumping
3. Prevent problems caused by over-pumping of groundwater in the future
4. Cannot rollback protections provided by the courts
[Your comments here]
Now is the time to get serious about protecting our water. Please work to enact laws that protect our groundwater and drinking water, not roll back important, basic protections.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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