Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter

http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org

john.muir.chapter@sierraclub.org

222 South Hamilton Street, #11, Madison, WI (608) 256-0565

Founded in 1892 by John Muir, Sierra

Club is the oldest, largest, and most

influential grassroots environmental

organization in the United States.

1.4 million members & supporters

Mission: To explore, enjoy, and protect thewild places of the earth; to practice andpromote the responsible use of the earth'secosystems and resources; to educate andenlist humanity to protect and restore thequality of the natural and humanenvironment; and to use all lawful means tocarry out these objectives

www.sierraclub.org

Born in Scotland, grew up in Marquette Co, WI, attended UW - Madison; Founded the Sierra Club in 1892

One of America’s most influential conservationists: “Father of our National Parks,” “Wilderness Prophet,” and “Citizen of the Universe”

Self-proclaimed “poetico-trampo-

geologist-botanist and ornithologist-

naturalist!!!”

Created Sierra club to “make the

mountains glad”Photo from Sierra Club Colby Library

15,000 members & supporters in WI

6 Local Groups: Chippewa Valley, Coulee Region, Four Lakes, Fox Valley, Great Waters, Southeast Gateway

3 Special Activity Sections: River Touring Section, Inner City Outings and Sierra Student Coalition

Executive Committee: 15 elected volunteers (9 at-large, 6 group delegates)

3 Chapter Staff: Chapter Director - Shahla WernerChapter Coordinator - Jacinda Tessmann, Conservation Programs Coordinator - Elizabeth Ward

Priorities: Reducing Climate Change through Clean Energy and Clean Transportation; Protecting Water Resources; Preventing Destructive Mining Impacts

We thwarted Perrier’s plans to build a water-bottling plant in Adams County

We pushed for the clean-up of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Fox

River

We supported Federal Wild & Scenic River designation for the St. Croix &

Namekagon Rivers

We helped secure Wild River status for the Pine, Pike, Popple, Brunsweiler, and

Totogatic Rivers, a designation established by the Wisconsin state legislature in

1965 to preserve select rivers in a free-flowing condition and to protect them from

development.”

We helped pass a ban on Phosphorus lawn fertilizer

We helped pass the historic Great Lakes Compact

We supported enactment of the strongest numerical phosphorus and

nitrogen nutrient limits in the nation

Protecting the Great Lakes: Opposing destructive shorelanddevelopment (AB 75); reducing invasive species (zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, Asian Carp); reducing toxins (pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, tar sands oil, coal ash); reducing nonpoint runoff and point pollution; Supporting strong Great Lakes Compact implementation, shoreland zoning, ballast water regulation, water infrastructure upgrades, Asian Carp barriers, restoration

Protecting Water Supply: Opposing efforts to deregulate high capacity wells through budget motion 375 and SB 302 (undermine Lake Beulah); supporting new Groundwater Management Areas, spring protection, statewide water conservation

Protecting Water Quality: Opposing uninspected, minimally enforced, highly subsidized factory farms or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) whose runoff and manure spills kill fish, contaminate drinking water and cause algal growth and dead zones in water bodies; Supporting increased water program staffing, increased inspections and enforcement; increased local control over livestock siting; stronger waste spreading rules

An 8 state agreement

signed by President Bush in

2008 that establishes

consistent, ecosystem-

based standards for

assessing diversion

requests & requires water

conservation

The Community MUST: Be in a straddling community or county

Show there’s no other source of water

Implement a water conservation program

Return the Great Lakes water to the lake it came from with no negative effect

• The Great Lakes Legacy Act provides up to $150 million per year in funding to clean up contaminated sediment in Great Lakes tributaries and harbors identified as one of 30 United States “areas of concern” (AOCs).

• The 2008 Authorization provided $54 million per year for 2 years. Restoration of Hog Island Inlet and Newton Creek (Superior) and the Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee) are complete, while Lincoln Park (Milwaukee) and the Sheboygan River are underway.

Murphy Oil Refinery: Superior; Oil and chemicals on the shore threaten

water. Calumet Specialty Products has proposed shipping tar sands oil

across Lake Superior.

Nuclear Waste Storage: Point Beach, Kewaunee nuclear plants

“temporarily” store nuclear waste on Lake Michigan in pools, dry cask;

leaks reported in many other locations

SS Badger Ferry: Burns 55 tons of coal; Dumps 3.8 tons of coal ash into

Lake Michigan every day

Support maintaining funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million in the fiscal year 2014 budget (Gwen Moore & Tom Petri do)

Oppose House bill to slash the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) budget from $285 million to $60 million

Support Strong Great Lakes Compact Rules: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wateruse/rules.htmland thorough oversight of diversion requests

Reduce Invasive Species: Support Ballast Water Regulation, Asian Carp surveys and control

Oppose tar sands shipping and pipelines

Participate in Beach Clean-Ups

Plant a rain garden and keep storm drains clean

Support strong water conservation policies

Oppose AB 75 to gut shoreland zoning protections

70% of Wisconsinites and 97% of inland communities depend on groundwater for drinking water

Wisconsin uses about 760 million gallons of groundwater per day.

Rainfall over Wisconsin averages 32 inches annually, but only 6-10 inchesof it soaks in to become groundwater.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Photo by Tom Kujawski/For the State JournalRobert’s Irrigation of Plover drilling a high capacity well in Portage Co.

There are over 3,000 high

capacity wells permitted in the

Central Sands Area, where

surface water drawdowns are

already occurring, according to

the Friends of Central Sands.

The proposed Richfield Dairy

in Adams County would house

4,300 cows and pump 72.5

million gallons of groundwater

each year (138 gallons / min)

The 2011 Lake Beulah vs. DNR State Supreme Court decision

stated that the DNR has the authority – and the responsibility – to

consider the environmental impacts of significant groundwater

removal.

Budget Motion 375 prevents neighbors from challenging a high

capacity well based on cumulative impacts; and SB 302 would

prohibit DNR from considering cumulative impacts in high capacity

well permitting and mandate rushed permit reviews

• Support maintaining DNR authority to consider

cumulative impacts of permitting new high-capacity wells

• Support increased protections for springs

• Support Adaptive Management, which would allow the

DNR to change permits if impacts result from over-

pumping

• Oppose arbitrary legislatively mandated permit deadlines

in favor of allowing DNR to take the time needed to

review complex high capacity well applications

• Conserve water as individuals by installing rain barrels

and using appliances like low-flow toilets & front loading

Wisconsin has over 235 permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) or factory farms, most of which are dairies. A CAFO is defined as an operation with at least 1,000 confined Animal Units, or at least 700 dairy cows, 55,000 turkeys, or 20,000 laying hens.

Wisconsin’s Livestock Siting Law, enacted in 2004, along with DATCP’s “Siting Rule,” issued by the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) in 2006, restricts ability of local governments to direct the location of new CAFOs through zoning or protective ordinances. DATCP on the current Livestock Siting application: “A properly completed [siting] application essentially guarantees approval.”

What triggers the WI Livestock Siting Law?

• First – a local government must enact a siting ordinance to even gain access to the uniform state standards of the Siting Law (without a local ordinance, there is no opportunity for local communities to weigh in on siting decisions!)

• Second, in most instances the livestock operation must propose to have at least 700 Animal Units for the Siting Law to apply

• Third, for expanding livestock facilities, the proposed expansion must be at least 20% for the Siting Law to apply

• Fourth, if there is a local ordinance and the planned facility

is of the requisite size, the owner of the proposed facility must complete a DATCP application that addresses each of the five standards found in the law 1) Location of livestock structures 2) Odor and air emissions 3) Nutrient Management 4) Waste storage facilities and 5) Runoff management

Karst is an area of irregular limestone characterized by fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns. Karst areas are especially vulnerable to pollution, as waste can travel long distances.

Karst areas should be mapped statewide, and afforded stronger waste spreading protections.

Wisconsin should also require Nutrient Management Plans for spreading industrial and municipal (non-manure) waste statewide

August 19, 2013: “The Day Enforcement & Science Died”

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp: “The Division of Enforcement and

Science will be eliminated as a Division and its component

parts – Law Enforcement and Science Services – will report to

the Secretary’s Office.”

Under the reorganization, “the Chief Warden will report directly

to the Deputy Secretary” and “effective immediately, the Bureau

of Science Services will become a part of the Office of

Business Support and Sustainability and report directly to the

Office’s Director.”

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/search?q=dnr

+enforcement+and+science

Town of Ripon residents near the 8,000 cow Rosendale CAFO can participate in a well water sampling program sponsored by Fond du Lac County UW-Extension and the Town of Ripon.

6.5% private wells in WI exceed safety standards for nitrates. In past 20 years, 17% of wells sampled near Ripon have tested positive for bacteria http://www.riponpress.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&ArticleID=2422

Rosendale’s WPDES permit was renewed in 2013. The WDNR reduced the land-spreading setback from private wells from 200 to 100 feet.

2002: Maple Ridge Dairy (Central WI) spread 250,000 gallons liquid manure onto 32 acres

frozen field in February near their Stratford farm in Marathon county. Run-off traveled onto

neighbors’ land and a tributary feeding the Big Eau Pleine River.

http://www.wsn.org/factoryfarm/stratford_manure_spill.html

March 2004: Stahl Brothers Farm (Northeastern WI) spread tens of thousands of gallons of

animal waste on a field across the from the Tremls’ home, causing every family member, including

their 7 month-old, to become seriously ill from contaminated water

http://www.midwestadvocates.org/archive/Treml/index.htm. In April 2009 the same farm had a

manure pit leak that sent 100,000 gallons of manure into a waterway

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_kewaunee_dnr_cleaning_up_manure_spill_200

904161654_rev1

November 2013: A pipe ruptured at the Dane County Digester, spilling 300,000 gallons of

manure, with some going into Six Mile Creek. Aggressive clean-up efforts have been

employed, and a berm and automatic shutoff valve was constructed, though they are currently

NOT required for digesters. http://chippewa.com/gallons-of-manure-spilled-from-dane-county-

• We need to restore some local authority to take into account localized concerns, such as high-quality waterways, unique topography, etc. “Uniform state standards” make little sense because our land and natural resources are not uniform!

• We need to increase the scientific understanding of the environmental and public health impacts of livestock operations so that local restrictions are scientifically sound and truly protective of public health and the environment.

• We need to return zoning power to local communities so that at least some areas can be maintained “CAFO-free.”

• 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

Photo: MI Sierra Club

Erin McFarlaneClean Boats Clean Waters ProgramCoordinatorUWEX Lake ProgramUW Stevens Point College of Nat Res.800 Reserve St. Stevens Point WI 54481715-346-4978emcfarla@uwsp.edu

Bob DuBois

Biologist

Wisconsin Dept. of Natural

Resources

1401 Tower Ave

Superior WI 54880

715-392-6976

Robert.dubois@wisconsin.gov

Kris Stepenuck

Citizen Stream Monitoring Program

Coordinator

Environmental Resources Center

445 Henry Mall, Rm 202

Madison WI 53706

608-265-3887

Kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu

Lauren Herman

Citizen Lake Monitoring Network

Educator

Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources

107 Sutliff Avenue

Rhinelander WI 54501

Three levels of Citizen Monitoring Available: watermonitoring.uwex.edu

• Support Restoring Local Control for WI Livestock Siting

• Support Stronger Waste Spreading Regulations, especially for Karst areas, and support statewide Karst Mapping

• Support Stronger Regulations for Industrial and Municipal Waste Spreading

• Support Requiring all Manure Digesters to Install Automatic Shutoff Valves and Berms around pipes

• Become a Citizen Water Monitor, and send samples to the State Hygiene Lab to test for E. coli, Phosphorus, and Total Coliforms

• Track and Expose the Lobbying Activities and Campaign Contributions of the Dairy Business Association, the Farm Bureau, and other Industry Groups

• Track & Publicize Manure Spills and related health issues

• Testify at DNR, DATCP, and Natural Resource Board CAFO and water rule hearings

• Support Private Well Testing

• Push the EPA to Create Strong CAFO Rules

• Support a federal ban on sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in CAFOs

• Support Local, Organic Farmers who care about water resources