Wisconsin's Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC)

Interagency Groundwater Program Information & Resources
on the Web

• Bottled Water
  The Division of Food Safety is required by state law to sample bottled water produced in Wisconsin each year and to issue a report. For specific results and data from recent reports, go the bottom of this page.



• Containment and Remediation
  The Containment and Remediation Section works to prevent and clean up spills of pesticides and fertilizers.



• Water Quality
  The Water Quality Section handles groundwater contamination resulting from use of pesticides and fertilizers. They also investigate contamination sources, and develop regulations to restore groundwater quality and minimize further contamination.

• Petroleum Programs
  The Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services (ERS) maintains the regulatory responsibility and authority for underground and aboveground flammable or combustible liquid storage tank systems, petroleum product quality assurance, administrative authority for low and medium risk petroleum contaminated sites, and the Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund (PECFA) administration.



• General Plumbing
  The Division of Safety and Buildings includes the plumbing programs of General Plumbing and POWTS (Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems). General Plumbing has regulatory requirements for recycling systems and stormwater treatment and dispersal. Public health and safety and environmental protection are issues addressed by the uniform plumbing code in Wisconsin.



• Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems
  The Division of Safety and Buildings protects public health and the waters of the state by regulating onsite wastewater treatment systems and by promoting the use of the best available technology to provide onsite sewage treatment system solutions for property owners.

• Environmental Health Resources
  The Division of Public Health promotes public health through a statewide program to increase public awareness of environmental hazards and disease and prevent and control exposure to environmental hazards. DHFS staff are the primary resource for information about the health risks posed by drinking water contaminants, and are charged with investigating suspected cases of water-borne illness.

• Drinking Water and Groundwater
  The Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater regulates public water systems, private drinking water supply wells, and high capacity wells. The Groundwater Section assists in coordinating groundwater activities of the DNR, as well as other state agencies.



• Groundwater Remediation and Clean-up
  The Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment oversees environmental cleanup actions at spills, hazardous substance release sites, abandoned containers, brownfields, "high priority" leaking underground storage tanks, closed wastewater and solid waste facilities, hazardous waste corrective action and generator closures, and sediment cleanup actions. A significant amount of the RR program’s work relates to groundwater contamination.



• Solid Waste Management
  The Bureau of Waste Management regulates and monitors groundwater at proposed, active, and inactive solid waste facilities and landfills. The Bureau also maintains a Groundwater and Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) database of groundwater quality data from over 600 solid waste facilities and landfills and uses reports from GEMS to evaluate whether sites are impacting groundwater quality.



• Wastewater and Runoff Management
  The Bureau of Watershed Management regulates the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater, by-product solids and sludge disposal from wastewater treatment systems and wastewater land treatment/disposal systems. The Bureau also has primary responsibility for regulating stormwater and agricultural runoff as well as managing waste from large animal feeding operations.

• Environmental Information
  The DOT regulates the storage of highway salt to protect the waters of the state from harm due to contamination by dissolved chloride (Trans 277 Wis. Stats). DOT is also responsible for potable well sampling at rest areas and waysides. Other DOT groundwater related activities include road salt research; hazardous material and waste investigation or remediation; wetland compensation and research; and storm water management (Trans 401 Wis. Stats) and research. Various divisions and sections in DOT are responsible for these activities.

• Groundwater Center
  The Groundwater Center is a program of the Center for Watershed Science and Education that provides groundwater education and technical assistance to the citizens and governments of Wisconsin. Programs range in breadth from answering citizen questions to helping communities with wellhead protection planning, describing the extent and causes of groundwater nonpoint pollution in Wisconsin, and examining groundwater quantity issues. The Center is an office of UW-Extension located at UW-Stevens Point, and frequently works through county Extension faculty in program delivery.



• UW Environmental Resources Center (ERC)
  The UW Environmental Resources Center (ERC) develops and coordinates a number of national youth water education initiatives related to groundwater.



• UW Water Resources Institute (WRI)
  The UW-Madison Water Resources Institute (WRI) promotes research, training, and information dissemination focused on the nation's water resources problems. The WRI research portfolio includes interdisciplinary projects in four broad areas: groundwater, surface water, groundwater-surface water interactions, and drinking water. Groundwater is a top priority and an area of particular strength at the Wisconsin WRI.



• Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
  The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) identifies and monitors chemical and microbial contaminants in groundwater through routine testing, specialized research, emergency response, and education and outreach. The testing and research related to groundwater spans several departments at WSLH. Collectively, their efforts make up the WSLH Drinking Water Quality Program.

• The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) performs basic and applied groundwater research and provides technical assistance, maps, and other information and education to aid in the management of groundwater resources. The WGNHS groundwater program is complemented by geology and soils programs that provide maps and research-based information essential to the understanding of groundwater recharge, occurrence, quality, and movement. WGNHS researchers collect and describe geologic samples from 250 wells per year.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The NRCS, formerly the Soil Conservation Service, works with private landowners to promote conservation of natural resources. The agency protects groundwater by providing technical assistance to landowners through many ongoing conservation practices and programs.

• Groundwater Projects and Studies
  The Ground-Water Systems Team serves as a forum in which participating members are kept abreast of new techniques and approaches in groundwater research and investigations. The team provides technical review for existing groundwater projects and designs and presents proposals to cooperators. Team membership fosters a close working relationship with cooperators and the University community. The team provides cooperators with state-of-the-art techniques and expertise to provide an understanding of groundwater systems.



• Ground-Water Observation Network
  The Ground-Water Observation Network includes water levels measured in approximately 120 wells throughout Wisconsin. This program has been in place since 1946 and continues through the efforts of the USGS-WRD staff and an extensive network of observers. Approximately 20 wells are measured daily with electronic recorders, 3 of which have Real-Time Recorders; the remainder are measured on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis by staff or observers.



• National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program.
  The Western Lake Michigan Drainages NAWQA study unit in Wisconsin and Michigan is part of the U.S. Geological Survey's NAWQA Program. The long-term goals of this program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources, and to provide a sound, scientific understanding of the primary factors affecting the quality of these resources.