July 28, 2005
Water
Pollution Forces More Wisconsin Beach Closings
Beach closings due to hazardous bacterial contamination
increased at Wisconsin beaches, according to an annual
report released today by the Natural Resources Defense
Council. The report tallied 984 closing and health
advisory days in 2004 in Wisconsin, a 33 percent jump
from 738 the previous year. Ninety-six percent of last
year’s closing days were prompted by unsafe levels of
bacteria in the water, indicating the presence of human
or animal waste.
“Instead of closing our beaches, let’s clean up the
water,” said Rosemary Wehnes, Sierra Club
conservation organizer. “Authorities have gotten better
at finding problems. Now they need to stop the pollution
at its source by repairing and replacing leaky sewage
and septic systems, and cleaning up contaminated
runoff.”
Nationally, NRDC’s report found nearly 20,000 closing
and advisory days in 2004. That’s the most since NRDC
began tracking the problem 15 years ago. One reason, the
group says, is that improved monitoring spurred by
previous reports is now uncovering the true extent of
the pollution problem.
The report, “Testing the Waters,” which covers ocean,
coastal bay and Great Lakes beaches, is available online
at
www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/titinx.asp.
“This is a nationwide problem that demands a nationwide
solution,” said Nancy Stoner, director of
NRDC’s Clean Water Project. “We need more federal help
for local communities to control runoff and update their
aging sewage systems, and we need stronger enforcement
standards for those who aren’t doing their share.”
Eighty-five percent of the closing and advisory days
nationally were triggered by high bacteria levels. The
main culprits are improperly treated sewage and
bacteria-contaminated stormwater runoff. The bacteria
cause a wide range of diseases, including
gastroenteritis; dysentery; hepatitis; ear, nose and
throat problems; and respiratory ailments. Consequences
are worse for children, the elderly, pregnant women, and
anyone with a weakened immune system.
Polluted beachwater not only poses a threat to public
health, it also hurts local businesses. Coastal tourism
and recreation are two of the fastest growing businesses
in the country, according to the U.S. Commission on
Ocean Policy. But Wisconsin “beachonomics” would be even
more robust if communities were not forced to close
their beaches because of pollution. One study cited in
NRDC’s report estimated that closing a beach on Lake
Michigan could result in economic losses of as much as
$37,000 per day.
Reasons for the nationwide jump in closings and
advisories last year include:
• the continuing failure of most municipalities to
identify and clean up pollution sources;
• more frequent monitoring, prompted at least in part by
earlier NRDC reports;
• heavier than average rainfall in some states, which
flushed more pollution into local waterways;
• implementation of the federal Beaches Environmental
Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Act, which passed
in 2000 and went into effect in early 2004. The law
requires all coastal and Great Lakes states and U.S.
territories to adopt the Environmental Protection
Agency’s recommended bacterial standards, provides
grants for monitoring and public notification
programs, and requires the EPA to make beach water
quality data easily accessible.
Full article [PDF]
July 26, 2005
Proposed changes to NR 115, Wisconsin’s Shoreland
Management Program
The statewide minimum standards for shoreland
development that are contained within the existing NR115
were designed nearly 35 years ago to protect water
quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty
along our lakes and rivers.
But the times have changed – development has accelerated
(we have roughly three times the number of dwellings on
Northern Lakes as when the rules were first developed),
non-point pollution has become an increasingly
challenging threat, and society’s understanding of the
causes of pollution has progressed. The evidence all
points in the same direction – NR 115 needs updating.
Surveys in northern areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota
match with what we all know intuitively: people value
waterfront property for views of the wildlife, of the
woods, and for the scenic respite from daily
responsibilities. When houses and docks crowd the
waterfront, they detract from collective property
values, and from the collective enjoyment of the water
resources shared by all. Experience also backs up the
scientific data – when development covers up more than
15% of an area, fish and wildlife resources, as well as
water quality, suffer.
For these reasons, Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers urges
the Wisconsin DNR to adopt updated rules to protect our
state’s rivers, streams, and lakes. For the most part,
we are supportive of the draft rule changes, but would
urge additional amendments as follows:
Increase the primary shoreland buffer from 35 ft to 50
ft, with a secondary buffer of 25 ft. This is still
quite conservative – other areas of the country, such as
rivers near the Chesapeake Bay, insist on at least 100
ft of buffer. Our waters and our scenic beauty are every
bit as important as theirs, and deserve this protection.
Increase the minimum lot width to 150 ft for all new
waterfront lots, and minimum lot size to 20,000 sq ft (a
bit less than half of an acre). High density housing,
except when incorporated with nearby open space through
cluster development, only serves to increase the density
of piers and increase the problems of non-point runoff
and low habitat quality.
The draft rules should be modified to make them
consistent with NR 151.12(d), which establishes buffers
for wetlands. When wetlands occur within 75 ft of the
shore, setbacks and buffers need to be adjusted to
accommodate these sensitive areas.
We urge that the draft rules be modified to put caps on
the maximum amount of
impervious surface, and/or to direct users to
incorporate best management practices that ensure that
ground water recharge, and storm water flow patterns,
mimic natural patterns. In the Milwaukee River
Basin, where roughly 20% of Wisconsin’s population
lives, virtually all of the streams and rivers have been
seriously impacted by development and pollution over the
past century. In many places we have serious flooding
problems caused by development that did not take into
consideration the cumulative impacts of hardening our
landscape. While the most urbanized portions of our
rivers in incorporated areas of Milwaukee County are not
protected under NR115, significant portions of our
rivers in Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Fond du Lac,
and Sheboygan Counties will be protected by these
updated standards. What happens in the headwaters of our
rivers affects us downstream, so even residents
Milwaukee County are influenced indirectly by
implementation of these shoreland development standards.
Despite problems of development and pollution,
Milwaukee’s waters are beginning to heal. Dams
have been removed, and water quality in the Milwaukee
River, at least, is improving. Stream bank restoration
projects are in the works, and citizens come out to
clean their rivers and streams each year. Fish are
returning – with increases in both numbers and
diversity. Along with this, the numbers of anglers and
recreational boaters are increasing each year. Strong
shoreland management standards are needed to help
continue this trend in the greater Milwaukee area toward
more healthy rivers that everyone can enjoy.
I urge the DNR to adopt regulations that are most
protective of water quality and habitat, namely those
options requiring the deepest primary buffer, narrowest
viewing corridor, fullest setback, minimum building
area, limits on impervious surface area, and limits on
camping duration. Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers
participated in the development of the revision of these
rules, and has some understanding of the issues
regarding nonconforming lots, existing buildings, etc.
For the most part, other than the items laid out above,
we believe that the draft rules balance the desires of
private property owners vs. the need to protect the
natural resources we all share as common assets.
Protecting our shorelines doesn’t mean stopping all
development. But it does mean finding a good balance to
make sure that fish and wildlife can still live in our
waters, and Wisconsin residents can continue to enjoy
our natural areas for years to come. I urge the DNR to
adopt the proposals that are most protective of water
quality, and protects the best of what makes us love
Wisconsin.
The DNR has bent over backwards to ensure an inclusive
process in updating these rules – Friends of Milwaukee’s
Rivers appreciates the DNR’s efforts in this, at times,
contentious process. But we have been at it long enough,
and it is now time to finish the job, and enact updated
rules that match the needs for our new century.
