51猎奇

PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies: Regulatory Context

Water drop matrix

The Center’s researchers Andrian Lee and Melissa Scanlan conducted a legal analysis on PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies to compliment Dr. Laura Suppes’ April 2023 Earth Month Webinar on Assessing Illness Risk from PFAS Drinking Water Exposures in Wisconsin.

The US EPA and the State of Wisconsin have identified PFAS (per- and polyflouroalkyl substances) as a threat to public health, safety, and welfare. Most people in the United States have measurable levels of PFAS exposure. Even minute levels of PFAS compounds can lead to adverse health impacts. Wisconsin’s regulations currently set the maximum drinking water contaminant level at 70 parts per trillion (ppt). However, the EPA recently proposed a 4ppt maximum, which the Wisconsin DNR will have to adopt. Additionally, water utilities in Wisconsin will need to prepare to meet this lower standard.

You can read more on the legal context, timelines, implications, and recommendations in the document below.

April 2023 PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies Policy Brief (PDF)

Dr. Laura Suppes, 2022-23 Water Policy Scholar, presented on her research aimed at assessing illness risks from PFAS Drinking Water Exposures, which were presented at our . The discussion focused on her research process, results, and the PFAS Drinking Water Exposure_Risk Assessment Excel Tool she has developed

Director Melissa Scanlan to Speak at Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention

Center for Water Policy director Melissa Scanlan will lead a workshop at the 2023 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention that will explore the status of the Public Trust Doctrine today by drawing on recent changes in statutes, rules, and case law, and how this impacts Wisconsin DNR water management. Participants will hear her latest research, which began over 20 years ago analyzing the front-line dilemmas of WDNR to implement the laws that give life to the Public Trust. Her latest research findings are set to be published this spring, highlighting how political and economic forces have steadily eroded the state鈥檚 capacity to manage the numerous threats to lakes and rivers. The panel will discuss Director Scanlan鈥檚 presentation and reflect on the changes to Wisconsin鈥檚 legal and political landscape affecting water in the past several decades.

You can register for the virtual and in-person event .

Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin Highlights Partnership with Center for Water Policy

The Center for Water Policy recently partnered with Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin for two events to engage partners in discussions around phosphorus and to help set a phosphorus research and policy agenda for the next decade.

On Feb. 7, 2023, the UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy, with support from the Freshwater Collaborative, the Palmer Foundation and the Freshwater Collaborative Water Policy Network, co-hosted a statewide conference on Wisconsin鈥檚 phosphorus standards. The conference brought together more than 200 academic researchers, agricultural/conservation professionals/agencies, farmers/producers, policymakers and the public to discuss this important issue in our state.

On Feb. 28, 2023, Anya Janssen, Water Policy Specialist at the Center for Water Policy and Sea Grant University of Wisconsin water science-policy fellow, presented key takeaways from the statewide conference during the online Great Lakes Freshwater Symposium: The Impact of Phosphorus Rules on Local Water. This event was sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium, which is powered by the Council of the Great Lakes Region. More than 125 water researchers and students from Canadian and American universities, government agencies, nonprofits and concerned citizens registered for the symposium.

Follow this to read more.

Water Policy Specialist Anya Janssen to Speak to UW-Milwaukee Institute for Supply Management

Anya Janssen

UW-Milwaukee Supply Chain Management Institute hosted UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy to discuss the dual discipline review of how water affects supply chain.

Director Melissa Scanlan Featured in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to Discuss 10 Years of Phosphorus Rules in Wisconsin

Blue Green Algae on Lake Mendota

Center director, Melissa Scanlan, highlights need for transformative change that works for farmers to reduce fouling lakes and streams in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article “It’s been more than a decade since Wisconsin cracked down on phosphorus. Has it helped protect our lakes and rivers?” by Caitlin Looby, Madeline Heim, and Laura Schulte.

You can follow this to view the full article.

Director Melissa Scanlan Recognized at 2023 51猎奇 Authors Recognition Ceremony

Director of the Center for Water Policy, Melissa Scanlan, was recognized at the 2023 51猎奇 Authors Recognition Ceremony on March 9, 2023, for her contribution to the 51猎奇 Authors Collection. Her book聽Prosperity in the Fossil-Free Economy: Cooperatives and the Design of Sustainable Businesses (Yale University Press 2021) will be included in the 51猎奇 Authors Collection.聽聽These works are an important part of the Libraries鈥� holdings, documenting the intellectual heritage of the university and the impressive contributions of 51猎奇 faculty and staff to contemporary scholarship.

Water Policy Specialist Anya Janssen to Speak at Great Lakes Freshwater Symposium on Key Takeaways from Phosphorus Conference 2023

Anya Janssen, Water Policy Specialist at the Center for Water Policy and Sea Grant University of Wisconsin water science-policy fellow, will present key takeaways from the recent statewide conference Phosphorus: Lessons from 10+ Years of Numeric Standards for Wisconsin鈥檚 Waters.

This free, virtual Great Lakes Freshwater Symposium: The Impact of Phosphorus Rules on Local Water will bring together water researchers and students from Canadian and American universities.

Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how lessons learned in Wisconsin can be applied to other states/provinces on the Great Lakes. They will participate in breakout rooms to talk about how they can get involved in setting a phosphorus research and policy agenda for the next decade.

This is the first event in a series of quarterly water symposiums sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium and Council of the Great Lakes Region.

SFS Researcher and Professor Dr. Harvey Bootsma featured on W51猎奇’s lake Effect to Discuss Phosphorus Conference

51猎奇 School of Freshwater Sciences researcher and professor Dr. Harvey Bootsma was featured in W51猎奇’s Lake effect to discus the impact of phosphorus on Wisconsin’s freshwater systems. Professor Bootsma discussed the need for efficient agricultural practices and better water management strategies to prevent the entry of excess phosphorus into the freshwater systems with W51猎奇’s Susan Bence. This research was also featured during the 2023 Phosphorus Conference.

You can listen to the full interview below.

– W51猎奇’s Lake Effect

Pumping Mississippi River Water West: Pipe Dream or Solution? Director Melissa Scanlan featured in The Gazette

Director of the Center for Water Policy, Melissa Scanlan, was featured in The Gazette to discuss the legal, economic and political feasibility of diverting water from the Mississippi River to the arid West as water scarcity becomes more severe. Scanlan urges 鈥渞ealistic solutions鈥� 鈥� those most readily deployable now focus on demand management, such as water conservation.

– The Gazette

Environmental Law Section Blog: Analyzing the Impact of Wisconsin鈥檚 Phosphorus Rules on Water Quality

Lake Okeechobee toxix aglae bloom

New analysis from the Center for Water Policy’s Water Policy Specialist Anya Janssen on the impact of numeric standards in Wisconsin鈥檚 phosphorus rules was recently featured in the January 2023 Environmental Law Section blog published by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Follow the link to read the full article.