The Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council: 37 Years of State Agency Cooperation.

Abstract

Wisconsin is one of the only states in the U.S. that coordinates its groundwater research and monitoring through a special interagency council. For 37 years, the Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) has fostered the exchange of information about groundwater programs among state agencies, established an extremely effective research program, and promoted efficiencies to benefit the state's groundwater resources. In 1984, largely in response to early concerns over the contamination of groundwater with aldicarb, a pesticide used on potatoes, the Wisconsin Legislature enacted Wisconsin Act 410 to establish a GCC composed of representatives of state agencies with groundwater protection responsibilities. The act directed the GCC to “serve as a means of increasing the efficiency and facilitating the effective functioning of state agencies in activities related to groundwater management.” The GCC “advises and assists state agencies in the coordination of nonregulatory programs and the exchange of information related to groundwater, including, but not limited to, agency budgets for groundwater programs, groundwater monitoring, data management, public information and education, laboratory analysis and facilities, research activities and the appropriation and allocation of state funds for research.” The council is composed of representatives of state agencies with groundwater protection responsibilities, along with a governor's representative. The agencies involved include the Wisconsin departments of natural resources, agriculture, safety, health services, and transportation, plus the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, the University of Wisconsin System. Quarterly council meetings are well attended and provide a forum for agency managers to communicate and share current activities and emerging issues related to each agency's role in groundwater resources. This communication improves efficiencies by avoiding duplication of effort, reducing competition for state resources, and promoting clarity in sometimes-overlapping agency roles. Sponsoring applied groundwater research and monitoring projects is a key GCC function. Each state agency usually has unique needs and funding sources for groundwater research and monitoring, but to avoid duplication of effort, the GCC sends out an annual call for “joint solicitation” proposals focused on priorities relevant to all agencies. The state of Wisconsin provides funding for groundwater activities, which goes to the University of Wisconsin System to support research and monitoring and is coordinated by Wisconsin's Water Resources Institute. The institute receives additional federal funds through the U.S. Geological Survey that can be used to support the work. Projects for funding are selected only after rigorous review by experts from around the world as well as the GCC research and monitoring subcommittee, with advice from the UW System's Groundwater Research Advisory Council. In addition, other state agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection routinely allocate portions of their funding toward groundwater projects. Since the program's inception in 1984, the GCC and its partners have funded almost 500 applied groundwater research projects, on topics ranging from well hydraulics to groundwater economics. Although funding is generally modest, these projects have generated numerous papers, theses, and ideas that continue to influence groundwater management in Wisconsin and across the United States. In addition, these projects have helped train hundreds of students who have gone on to become the next wave of professional water scientists, managers, and entrepreneurs. Each year the council summarizes its work in a Report to the Legislature, and lists priorities for agency attention and university research during the next year. The 2021 recommendations reference contamination from Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), nitrates, and agricultural chemicals, groundwater withdrawals, and emerging contaminants in groundwater supplies. “The council has been a great resource and venue for raising groundwater issues and trying to tackle them,” said Steve Elmore, director of the Drinking Water and Groundwater Program for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “When you have broad issues like nitrate and bacterial contamination of groundwater that affects a whole region, you need more than one agency or entity to deal with those sorts of issues.” We recommend that other states (and other nations) consider following Wisconsin's example in establishing regular communication among state agencies, the academic sector, and the public in matters related to groundwater resources. The costs are minimal and the benefits substantial. In its nonregulatory, communicative, and research-fostering roles, Wisconsin's Groundwater Coordinating Council has become a model of state government that works.