Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council

Publications

The following are summaries of various publications relating to groundwater. Click on their titles to view the full document.

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Many of these publications are also available in paper form.

Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council Report to the Legislature - August 2011 [PDF 92KB] The Groundwater Coordinating Council is required by s. 15.347, Wis. Stats., to prepare a report which "summarizes the operations and activities of the council..., describes the state of the groundwater resource and its management and sets forth the recommendations of the council. The annual report shall include a description of the current groundwater quality of the state, an assessment of groundwater management programs, information on the implementation of ch. 160, Wis. Stats., and a list and description of current and anticipated groundwater problems." This report is due each August. This report fulfills this requirement for fiscal year 2011 (FY 11).

Last year's report - Report to the Legislature - August 2010 [PDF 115KB]

Wisconsin Groundwater Directory - 2006 [PDF 930KB]

Learn more about who does what regarding groundwater protection programs in Wisconsin.

Sharing Our Buried Treasure: Directions for the Protection and Management of Wisconsin's Groundwater - A Summary of the 2001 Groundwater Summit [PDF 92KB]
In October 2001, the GCC facilitated an event called "Wisconsin's Groundwater Summit." The Summit brought together a broad spectrum of groundwater users and stakeholders to discuss issues facing groundwater protection and management and develop solutions to better protect Wisconsin's groundwater. Representatives from over 50 organizations, agencies, and other groups with a stake in safe and adequate groundwater supplies attended the meeting, including environmental, conservation, and agricultural groups, industrial users, water utilities, local and tribal government, planning agencies, state and federal agencies, and university researchers and educators.

Sharing Our Buried Treasure serves as a means of summarizing and synthesizing key themes that were raised at the Groundwater Summit. It is not intended to represent a consensus of the participants, nor the agencies and organizations that they represent. Rather it serves as a starting point for further dialogue about the future of Wisconsin's groundwater management.

Recommended Minimum Elements for Groundwater Databases [PDF 98KB]
This document is intended to provide a listing of "minimum data elements" that should be collected when collecting well and groundwater sample related information. The data elements listed have been determined to be a minimum amount of necessary information to make well and sample collection useful to others in the future. Our intent is to provide a listing of data elements covering the minimum information that must be collected; not to provide an all-inclusive listing of what we would like to see collected. Use this information in developing a core set of elements for any sampling program or computerized database.

Comprehensive Planning and Groundwater Fact Sheets

The 1999-2001 budget contained a comprehensive planning initiative sometimes called "Smart Growth". The legislation defined what is meant by a comprehensive plan and required that all land use decisions and actions, starting in 2010, must be based on a comprehensive plan. An important part of any comprehensive plan is identifying the groundwater resources your community relies on for drinking water and making sure you have an adequate and safe supply for the future.

Staff from subcommittees of the Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) have prepared these fact sheets to help you address your groundwater resources in your comprehensive planning efforts.

Groundwater Sampling Field Manual [PDF 340KB]
Developed by the Wisconsin DNR to provide an easy-to-use, WDNR-recommended procedures for collecting quality, representative groundwater samples and measurements. Provides groundwater sampling procedures for both monitoring wells and drinking water supply wells.

Groundwater Sampling Desk Reference Part 1 & Part 2
Developed by the Wisconsin DNR to assist in collecting data that represents in-situ, unaltered groundwater conditions. Emphasizes data objectives, sampling plans, pre-sampling preparations, following purging, sampling and quality assurance procedures, and documentation.

Directory of Groundwater Databases - April 1998 [PDF 120KB]
This document from the Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council provides a listing of groundwater related information maintained in computerized and non-computerized databases. The document focuses on Wisconsin's state agencies, federal agencies, and University Extension databases. State, federal, and local government staff, and university researchers are the target audience, although others interested in locating groundwater related data will find it useful.

Status of Groundwater Quantity in Wisconsin April 1997 [PDF 2MB]
The report discusses groundwater quantity problems caused by both natural conditions and human activity, summarizes information on groundwater quantity and data, discusses management of groundwater quantity, and provides options for addressing groundwater quantity issues.

Contact information:

Jeff Helmuth
(608) 266-5234

Last Revised: Thursday December 29 2011