A legal opinion issued by Attorney General Brad Schimel (May 10 2016) would roll back protections for Wisconsin lakes, streams, and wetlands from the impacts of high capacity wells. Short-term, … Continue reading Attorney General Opinion Would Roll Back Protections from High Capacity Wells
April 12 was a big day on issues of groundwater pumping impact, as Dr. Ken Bradbury of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and Dr. Michael Fienen of the … Continue reading A Turning Point or Just Another Study on the Heap?
The 2015-2016 Wisconsin legislative session is coming to a close without action changing groundwater pumping protections. One bill, SB 239 / AB 874, cleared the Senate on March 15, but with … Continue reading 2015-16 Legislative Session Ending, No Action on Groundwater
Hearing scheduled Wednesday February 10, 11:00 AM, Assembly Parlor of State Capitol A draft substitute amendment to the SB291 groundwater pumping bill is circulating. SB 291 was authored by Senator … Continue reading SB 291 Groundwater Pumping Bill Amendment In Draft
A television commercial causes confusion with its claim “studies show vegetables use far less water than trees.” Is it so? No. Questions about trees and groundwater abound of late, mainly … Continue reading Do “Trees Really Use More Water than Irrigated Crops”?
I can get pretty grumpy about certain things. In my professional life I get grumpy about claims that there is no science that groundwater pumping is drying central sands lakes, … Continue reading Loads of Knowledge on Central Sands Groundwater Pumping Impacts
A second fall 2015 groundwater bill has emerged, SB 291, authored by Senator Rob Cowles of Green Bay (http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/proposals/sb291). A hearing where the public can make their voices heard has … Continue reading SB 291 Emerges, Second Groundwater Bill of Fall 2015
The first of possibly several bills this legislative season affecting groundwater and high capacity wells was introduced on August 26 by sponsors Senators Gudex (R-Fond du Lac, Marklein (R-Spring Green), … Continue reading Bill Introduced to Ease High-Capacity Well Transfers and Replacement
I drove a loop in the Modesto area today to get sense of the San Joaquin (“SJ”) Valley, the southern half of the great California Central Valley. The SJ Valley … Continue reading Modesto – August 18, 2015
Deltas, I always thought, were river sediments deposited in oceans that pushed the continental shore out into the sea. Picture the Mississippi Delta extending into the Gulf of Mexico. The … Continue reading The Future of the California Delta, and What is Reconciliation Anyway?
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