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Comprehensive Planning in Wisconsin: Are Communities Planning to Protect Their Groundwater? by Chin-Chun Tang, Bobbie Webster and Lynn Markham This article is the first in a two-part series introducing a project by CLUE staff that examines comprehensive planning efforts to protect and manage groundwater in Wisconsin. The article includes a synopsis of the purpose and background of the project, as well as a discussion of our preliminary results. In the following issue, we will share our final results. What is the Relationship between Groundwater and Comprehensive Plans? Groundwater, lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands are among Wisconsin�s greatest natural resources. Fish, wildlife, and plants depend on these water resources to give them life. People depend on these waters for many things, including drinking water, waste assimilation, and recreation. Over 95% of Wisconsin�s communities and about 75% of Wisconsin residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water supply (WDNR, 2002b). Groundwater is equally vital to industry and agriculture. In order for communities to plan for the future, it is essential that both the quantity and quality of groundwater be protected (WDNR, 2002b). Land use decisions can have significant and unanticipated consequences for groundwater resources. Declining water levels and reductions in water quality have already occurred in many parts of the state (Meine, 2003). Legislation adopted in 1999 (ss. 66.0295 and 66.1001, Wisconsin Statutes) requires that by January 1, 2010 all communities that make land use decisions base those decisions on a comprehensive plan. The legislation outlines nine elements that must be included in each comprehensive plan. The comprehensive planning process attempts to provide an integrated treatment of all the planning elements, of which, natural resources is just one. Though specifically required in the agricultural, natural, and cultural resources element of the comprehensive plan, groundwater information and issues may appear in all nine elements (WDNR, 2002a). For example, the location of residential development determines the source of drinking water and whether waste will be treated via a private on-site wastewater treatment system or a municipal treatment plant. A number of publications have been completed by state and university groups that provide a thorough discussion of groundwater as part of the comprehensive planning process (WDNR, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c; Department of Urban & Regional Planning, 2002; UW Cooperative Extension, 2002). For example, one fact sheet clearly outlines the relationship of groundwater to each of the nine elements required in a comprehensive plan. Another fact sheet discusses what groundwater-related information is needed in a comprehensive plan through a series of questions as shown in Figure 1.
What is the Scope of the Project? The Center for Land Use Education together with a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey decided to launch a small project to review and evaluate adopted Wisconsin comprehensive plans to understand the extent of groundwater coverage and efforts to protect and manage groundwater in comprehensive plans. In addition, we also conducted several case studies to document exemplary efforts to protect groundwater. Our plan review consists of two phases: Phase I is a preliminary review where we broadly examine how groundwater is being covered in each of the nine comprehensive planning elements. Phase II is a detailed review where we select a small pool of plans based on the preliminary results to analyze the types of data, policies, and goals included in the plans. Why Are We Interested in Such a Project? Despite widespread understanding among groundwater scientists and planners that groundwater needs to be addressed throughout a comprehensive plan, there have been no efforts to track how groundwater is being addressed in the plans, particularly since adoption of the comprehensive planning law in 1999. Furthermore, the quality of plans and resources of the planning agency have been found to drive successful plan implementation (Laurian, Day, Backhurst, et. al., 2004). We believe this project will improve local groundwater planning efforts, and more importantly implementation efforts, by providing examples of high quality plans and real-life examples illustrating how local governments have implemented their plans. This information is largely absent from current publications. The case study examples selected for this project will highlight rural Wisconsin communities that have implemented groundwater protection measures. In particular, the case studies will highlight the key people, their rationale, and the social, financial and political challenges they overcame to achieve their groundwater goals. What are the Preliminary Results? We used a database of completed and in-progress comprehensive plans from the Department of Administration (DOA, 2004) to identify comprehensive plans that were completed after 2000 and submitted to the DOA. Only plans adopted by their respective communities were selected for review. We were able to obtain 79 such plans. Figure 2 shows the breakdown of plans by community type: the majority of plans were completed by towns, followed by villages and cities.
We conducted preliminary content analysis on the 79 plans to determine the extent to which groundwater is covered in each plan. First, we counted how frequently the word "groundwater" appeared in each element of the plans. Figure 3 shows the results. As expected, the agricultural, natural, and cultural resources element contains the most extensive coverage of groundwater, followed by the utilities and community facilities element. The housing and transportation elements, respectively, contain little to no mention of groundwater. In total, four plans did not mention groundwater at all. It is important to note that using the word "groundwater" as the sole code word may underestimate the extent to which groundwater is covered in these plans, since alternate language could have been used. The purpose of the detailed review in Phase II is to capture these details.
Another important point to highlight is that the communities whose plans we reviewed are "pioneer communities," meaning they committed themselves to comprehensive planning shortly after the law was enacted. Thus, many of them started preparing their comprehensive plans with limited educational materials or real-life examples to guide them in integrating groundwater into their plans. From our review process, the quality of plans is indeed wide-ranging. However, the proactive spirit and initiative of these communities should be commended. What Are Our Next Steps? We are in the process of conducting a detailed review of 30 plans selected from among those containing the greatest coverage of groundwater in the preliminary review. Based on the assumption that plans prepared by the same entity are likely to be similar � in terms of the types of groundwater data included, the extent of groundwater coverage, and the types of goals and policies recommended in the plans � we limited the number of plans from any single preparer to four. The detailed review examines the types of policies and goals that are included in the plans, as well as the type and format of groundwater-related information and data. The latter is important for scientists attempting to identify gaps in current groundwater knowledge and to identify how best to translate scientific information into jargon-free language understandable by the public. In addition to the detailed plan review, we are developing several case studies to illustrate proven methods of implementing groundwater protection goals, including wellhead protection, well testing programs, cropping agreements, industrial and residential water conservation, municipal well remediation, and private well casing regulation. This information will help readers visualize how these tools might work in their community. This project is unique because it attempts to link scientists with local government staff and officials who are in positions to apply the scientific groundwater information. Groundwater management will likely improve with regular two-way communication between these groups to ensure that researchers are learning about the information needs of local decision-makers, and that decision-makers are learning about the implications of various planning decisions from the researchers. This project is just one way to gauge the extent of groundwater protection strategies that exist in Wisconsin. Many communities may in fact be taking actions to protect groundwater that do not appear in their comprehensive plans. By analyzing and summarizing groundwater-related data, goals, and policies from comprehensive plans, and highlighting successful case study examples, we hope to aid communities across Wisconsin as they explore innovative approaches to address groundwater concerns in their comprehensive plans and take concrete steps to maintain safe drinking water for future generations. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the Wisconsin Groundwater Research Program in the Water Resources Institute for funding this project; Chuck Dunning, USGS, for initiating the project and providing guidance; and the advisory committee for their constructive advice and encouragement. References: Department of Urban & Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2002, Planning for Natural Resources: A Guide to Including Natural Resources in Local Comprehensive Planning, 82 pp. Laurian, L., Day, M., Backhurst, M., Berke, P., Ericksen, N., Crawford, J., Dixon, J., and Chapman, S. (July 2004). "What drives plan implementation? Plans, planning agencies, and developers" in Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 47 (4), p.555-577. Meine, Curt ed. Wisconsin�s Waters: A Confluence of Perspectives. Transactions of Wisconsin�s Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, volume 90, 2003. UW Cooperative Extension and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, 2002, Planning for Agriculture in Wisconsin: A Guide for Communities, 96 pp. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), 2002a, Groundwater and Its Role in Comprehensive Planning: Comprehensive Planning and Groundwater Fact Sheet 1. Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council, 4 pp. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), 2002b, Resources To Help You Protect Your Drinking Water Supply: Comprehensive Planning and Groundwater Fact Sheet 2. Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council, 4 pp. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), 2002c, Residential Development and Groundwater Resources: Comprehensive Planning and Groundwater Fact Sheet 3. Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council, 4 pp.
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