Calendar of Upcoming Groundwater Events

Please note:  WGWA members are notified of upcoming events as soon as possible using WGWA Notes.  To post announcements or events regarding ground water, surface water or other environmental sciences, please send the information to wgwanotes@wgwa.org. If you would like to become a part of our e-mail list, please contact Rebecca Caudill or WGWA Notes with your current e-mail address. The e-mail list is being used to provide you with timely notification of courses, seminars, regulatory issues, and other announcements as they come to the attention of WGWA. 

A special thank you to our sponsors of this event: Boart Longyear, RSV Engineering, The Sierra Club's Great Waters Group, Onsite Environmental Services, Test America, and the American Water Resources Association.

Testimonials from 2008 Conference:

• "Nice focus on groundwater usage and sustainability! Very nice conference!" - Bruce Evans-Arcadis
  
• "I liked the variety of aspects covered while encompassing one unified idea of improving the groundwater status in Wisconsin" -Herry Schultz-UW Eau Claire
  
• "I liked the vast variety of topics all tied together into the overall topic of Water Policy and Management" -Cynthia Cruciani-CH2M Hill
  
• "Excellent range of broad topics related to water-supply issues" -Troy Thompson-Summit Envirosolutions
  
• "Easy for me to understand, even though I haven't had hydrology courses yet. Opened my views to water issues that I have never conceived before" -Crystal Nickel-UW Eau Claire
• "Very good lineup of speakers! I enjoyed the topics covered and the mix of backgrounds of speakers" -Prof. Katherine Grote-UW Eau Claire
• "I liked the variety of speakers from diferent disciplines and careers" - Kallina Dunkle-UW Madison
• "I thought the WGWA conference was excellent." - Pat Jurcek, Layne Christensen Company

Our theme this year was "Water Policy and Management", and a very exciting group of speakers was assembled. This group included:

FRIDAY, March 7

• John Jansen (Reukert-Mielke) leading GW/SW Interaction "Artificial Recharge, Opportunities and Obstacles"
• Seann McClure (UW-Madison) "Implications of Diffuse and Focused Groundwater Discharge to Allequash Creek, Vilas County Wisconsin"
• Kallina Dunkle (UW-Madison) "Troy Valley Glacial Aquifer: 3D Modeling Aiding Water Management in Southeastern Wisconsin"
• Joe Piatt (Carroll College) leading Water Chemistry "Pharmaceuticals in Wisconsin: What is the dose and response?"
• Rachel Wilberding (UW-Milwaukee) "Anthropogenic Effects of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on Shallow Groundwater and Streams of Southeastern Wisconsin"
• Bob Nauta (RSV Engineering) leading Water Policy "Proceedings of the Groundwater Advisory Committee"
• Jodi Habush Sinykin (Of Counsel to Midwest Environmental Advocates) "The Great Lakes Compact: Its Value to Wisconsin Water Resource Management"
• Doug Cherkauer, Keynote Speaker, from UW-Milwaukee

SATURDAY, March 8

• Bob Biebel (SEWRPC) leading Water Conservation & Management "Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Water Supply Planning Program: Findings to Date and Sustainable Options for The Future"
• Cheryl Buchwald (USGS) "Overview of the USGS Water-Use Information Program and Highlights from the Wisconsin 2005 Compilation"
• Kristina Betzhold (UW-Milwaukee) "A fresh look at a regional imbalance: plausible solutions to water budget concerns in southeast Wisconsin using groundwater modeling"
• Dan Duchniak (Waukesha Water Utility) leading Water Law "Waukesha Water Challenges"
• Art Harrington (Geoffrey & Kahn) "The implications of Federal and State Climate Change Programs for Managing Water Use"

Professor Cherkauer’s thought-provoking presentation will be entitled “How long can Wisconsin continue the unmanaged exploitation of its ground-water supply?”

This years meeting also includes a student career workshop on Friday afternoon (preregistration is required) and a banquet on Friday evening. There will be a poster and exhibit session. The best student presentations will be awarded hundreds of dollars after the conference ends on Saturday.

Area Meeting Announcements

NORTHEAST AREA

I'm pleased to announce that with the help of Paula Leier-Engelhardt from STS, we have coordinated a Northeast Wisconsin WGWA quarterly meeting with guest speakers for Thursday, May 1, 2008. The meeting will be at noon at Mackinaw's at 2925 Voyager Drive on the east side of Green Bay.

There is no fee for this event (I got the "private room fee" waived), except for the food that you order off the menu. Our guest speakers will be Kevin Erb, Certified Crop Advisor for UW Extension and Steve Shimek, Associate Scientist from STS. Both of them were members of the 2006 Northeast Wisconsin Karst Task Force. A general summary of their upcoming presentation is summarized as follows:

Northeast Wisconsin has experienced groundwater quality problems for many years. In 2006, the UW Extension brought together groundwater researchers, technical experts, well drillers and County Conservationists to form a task force to address the groundwater issues on a regional basis. The region included an area of Northeast Wisconsin underlain by relatively shallow carbonate bedrock exhibiting karst features from the tip of Door County to central Lake Winnebago and east to the lakeshore. The task force members reviewed findings on the extent and cause of the groundwater quality issues, best management practices to reduce agricultural impacts on groundwater and prioritized available research and practices to prevent future problems. The task force and the results of their efforts represent a unique and foresighted approach to addressing regional groundwater quality issues. This presentation includes an overview of the karst region of Northeast Wisconsin and summarizes groundwater issues that have been documented in the region. The formation of the task force will be discussed, including its role, findings and recommendations. Potential policy and regulatory positions resulting from the task force efforts will also be provided.

Jason B. Lowery, P.G.
P 920-993-9096 I F 920-993-9108
jblowery@terracon.com

SOUTHEAST AREA

Nothing Reported

NORTH CENTRAL AREA

Nothing Reported

SOUTHERN AREA

Please add the following dates to your calendar, so you can join your colleagues at the Wisconsin Ground Water Association (WGWA) Southern Area breakfast meetings in 2007.

When: 7:00 AM 8:00 AM, typically on the first Thursday of even-numbered months

February 14
April 5
June 7
August 9 (one week later than normal)
October 4
December 6

Where: The Original Pancake House, 516 River Place, Monona, WI, 222-1137
Cost: Free (pay for your own breakfast)
Contact: John Tweddale, BT^2, Inc.; phone 608-224-2830; fax 608-224-2839;
email jtweddale@bt2inc.com

Other Announcements

WISCONSIN GROUNDWATER GUARDIAN PROGRAM

Groundwater Guardian is a national program which connects and recognizes communities that take action to protect groundwater and educate the public about groundwater. It is sponsored by the Groundwater Foundation in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“Groundwater supplies drinking water for 95% of Wisconsin communities,” Denise Kilkenny-Tittle said. “But we’re seeing increasing problems for some communities with groundwater quality. In addition, some communities are faced with declining water levels in their wells. So it’s natural that people would want to come together to help protect groundwater, and the Groundwater Guardian program is an easy and organized way to do that.”

NEWSLETTER

Please contact Rebecca Caudill if your membership has lapsed, as the mailing list has been updated to include current members. Newsletters are also available to our members in .pdf format on the Newsletters page.

The aquifer sand models have been getting a workout lately, with very favorable responses from the presentors and audiences. The models come with excellent instructions, fun quizzes, water informational handouts, as well as several videotapes that provide ideas on presentation types and the importance of our water supply.

Outreach activities may include presentations at schools, community meetings, or other public forums where the participants will benefit by learning more about ground water. If you are a WGWA member and would like to reserve a model, please contact Lori Rosemore (Eau Claire/northern and western Wisconsin area) or Kathi Ried. To see and learn more about the model, visit the Groundwater Model Project web site.

If you are a community member who is interested in having a WGWA member speak for your community or school function, please contact Lori or Deb.