WPDES Permits on Public Notice

Public notices are required by law to alert interested members of the public of the DNR's intention to authorize a discharge to a water of the state. The notices are posted here on the DNR website for 30 days and are also published once in the legal notices section of the local newspaper in the vicinity of the facility. The notice identifies the facility by name, indicates where the discharge is located, and briefly describes the facility's activities.

The public notice document explains how to get more information or comment on the proposed permit action. A member of the public may submit written comments or request that the Department hold a public informational hearing. For comments or requests to be timely, they must be submitted within 30 days from the date of public notice.

The Wisconsin Administrative Code details requirements for public participation procedures; NR 203 (PDF, exit DNR).

For an explanation of the full process the DNR follows in issuing WPDES wastewater permits, please refer to Overview of the WPDES wastewater permit process. Permits are not considered final and issued until they have been signed and dated by appropriate DNR staff. Final copies of WPDES wastewater permits are not available from the DNR website. Please contact the permit drafter indicated in the notice directly to obtain a copy of a final (issued) permit. Copies of permit applications can also be obtained by contacting the permit drafter.

To view a public notice, click on the date of public notice indicated below under the column heading entitled "Notice Date". The proposed permit can be downloaded by clicking on the file size indicated under the column entitled "Permit Draft". Other supporting documents, when available, are also provided. These may include the Fact Sheet, Water Quality Based Effluent Limits (WQBEL) Memo, compliance determination, facility diagram, and other documents, depending on the permit action being taken and type of discharge. All permit documents are in PDF format.

For more information on WPDES public notices contact: Permits Section, Bureau of Water Quality.