Environment
Avoid taking a swig of this water
There is abundant evidence that Southwest Wisconsin has concerning levels of drinking water contamination. In early August, researchers conducting the Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater & Geology (SWIGG) Study found that more than nine out of 10 wells in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties, that tested positive for coliform bacteria in prior sampling rounds, contained fecal matter […]
Frac sand mine spill polluting creeks, rivers in Jackson County
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate a frac sand mine in the town of Curran, owned by Wisconsin Proppants, which spilled sediment that is now contaminating waterways in Jackson County. Since the spill on Aug. 3, the Curran Coulee Creek and other streams which flow into the Trempealeau River have been choked […]
Sen. Baldwin meets with tribal leaders on climate
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin travelled to northern Wisconsin to meet with members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on Wednesday, to discuss the impacts of climate change on tribal land. “Extreme storms and severe flooding have threatened the location and abundance of wild rice on the Lac du Flambeau reservation,” Sen. […]
Getting meds out of our water
Wisconsin’s water contamination battles don’t end with lead pipe removals or cleaning up wells. Unused prescription medications, thrown in the trash or flushed out to Lake Michigan, are yet another pressing problem. According to a study by the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, traces of prescription medications have been found just […]
Baldwin pushes climate-ready infrastructure
Rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects after they are wiped out by storms, floods and other disasters is increasingly urgent as climate change drives severe weather events. But “too often, highway infrastructure is rebuilt to pre-disaster specifications, leaving roads and bridges vulnerable to another disaster,” U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement on […]
Evers, 4 other Dem. govs urge prez candidates to protect Great Lakes
Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin and four other Midwest Democratic governors on Monday urged presidential contenders to adopt their Great Lakes agenda. This comes before 20 contenders are set to arrive in Detroit for the second round of Democratic presidential debates on Tuesday and Wednesday. Evers, along with Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tim Walz of […]
Don’t divert our Great Lakes
In 2018, citizens around the Great Lakes Basin celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Great Lakes Compact, a landmark piece of legislation that protects the Great Lakes as a vital economic, cultural and environmental resource. The Compact, signed into law by George W. Bush in October 2008, details how the Great Lakes Basin’s water supply […]
Year of clean drinking water off to dubious start
Although Gov. Tony Evers declared 2019 the year of clean drinking water in Wisconsin in his 2019-21 budget veto message, that ambition won’t be easily realized. More than $32.65 million is allocated in the budget to improve water quality throughout the Badger State. Evers proposed another $40 million to help kickstart the process of replacing […]