Algae Cleanup Faces One More Hurdle -- We Could Use You!

Phosphorus is arguably the most serious surface water pollutant we have to deal with in Wisconsin. It is the cause of the nasty algae blooms found all over the state in the summer, from Lake Michigan to the St. Croix River – algae blooms that are toxic in some cases.

We have the chance to make serious progress on standards aimed at limiting phosphorus discharged by industries and municipalities. These standards face scrutiny by a legislative committee next Wednesday, and representatives from industry are expected to cry foul about these new standards, using arguments that have been used for decades to fight pollution controls.

Here’s where we could use you: contact your state senator and urge passage of these phosphorus rules. If you want to make your opinion known directly to the Senate Environment Committee, it meets Wednesday, July 28, 10:00 a.m., Room 411 of the State Capitol. Your message can be simple:

“Please support clean water in Wisconsin by approving the proposed phosphorus standards.”

If you want more information about crafting a message to your state senator or this committee, contact Denny Caneff at dcaneff@wisconsinrivers.org

These rules are a big deal, a real accomplishment. Combined with new bans on phosphorus in dishwasher soap and in lawn fertilizer, and new rules controlling farm runoff, Wisconsin is on the verge of real progress on “cleaning the green.” It might be years before we see results, but it’s got to start somewhere; if these rules pass, we have a really good foundation to build on.

Waukesha, Meet Veolia

Our spring newsletter was all about the relationship between water and energy use, something few of us lose sleep over, but an international company has just developed an eye-opening model for determining the impact of our water use on the environment, including energy costs.

The water that comes out of our taps is part of an ongoing cycle: it is extracted from the source (whether it be pumped out of the ground, a river or lake), then transported through pipes to treatment plants where it’s made safe to drink, then pumped up into water towers for storage, and then distributed to homes and businesses. After we use it, it goes down the drain and on yet another journey through pipes to the sewage treatment plant, and then finally discharged to a river or lake, or perhaps recycled. Every step of the cycle takes energy: moving that much water around, that much, leaves a big carbon footprint.

Veolia Environment’s new Water Impact Index can measure whether a water supply project will be sustainable and an economic asset, and allows water providers to compare and contrast the energy and environmental impacts of alternative water supply strategies. One of Veolia’s first applications of the new index compared Wisconsin’s water and energy impacts with California’s. It found that while Wisconsinsites routinely use TWICE the amount of water per capita as Californians, California pays a far higher environmental cost. While most of our state has ready access to water, California has less water to begin with, has to desalinate sea water in some areas (a very energy-intensive process), and must haul water a very long way from wetter north California to the dry south.

To read more about this new tool, click here.

It could have an immediate impact on Wisconsin: Could it provide some answers to help solve the rift over Waukesha’s next source of water

Save A River, Leave the Office!

If you paddle out on the Lower Wisconsin River this summer, you may come across Dave Marshall conducting one of his events. Dave, a retired DNR aquatic biologist, has been monitoring the Lower Wisconsin River for the last four years through his company, Underwater Habitat Investigations. Partnering with the DNR and environmental organizations, he conducts detailed monitoring events and provides recommendations on maintaining a healthy ecosystem throughout the watershed.

Last week River Alliance staff and Friends of the Lower Wisconsin River accompanied Dave and his crew as they ducked in and out of sloughs and backwater “lakes” -- water bodies that are part of the river but with little or no flow in summer – to take water quality measurements and inventory the fish species found on the river.

Click here to view pictures of our excursion.

Take a Tube into Tomorrow August

Thanks to River Alliance friends Jake and Kristin Barnes, we give you unique and delightful access to a clear, cold Wisconsin stream, the Tomorrow, to float and bob to your heart's content. We'll put in at the Barnes' home and "tube" down the river for about an hour. River Alliance will arrange a shuttle to return us to the Barnes'. From there we'll then travel to nearby Amherst and the Central Waters Brewing Co., to enjoy another form of water and learn about the innovative water conservation measures of this microbrewery.

Click here for more information or to register.

We're Hiring!

We are looking for a Communications Coordinator. Are you the right person to help us get our message out? Click here to see the position qualifications and application guidelines. Applications are due by August 2, 2010.