POLITICS

Wisconsin GOP senators vote to loosen rules on large wells

Jason Stein
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - After a roadblock the day before, GOP senators voted Wednesday to let farms and businesses keep their existing large-scale wells without added oversight from Wisconsin regulators.

Republicans in the Senate passed Senate Bill 76 on a strict party line vote of 19-13. Democrats on Tuesday managed to block a vote on final passage of the measure, forcing Republicans to return Wednesday morning to finish the work and send it to the Assembly.

If the bill becomes law as expected, the high-volume well measure would be a win for those seeking to maintain and expand irrigation for agriculture, especially in central Wisconsin, where the practice has become more controversial as lakes and streams have lost substantial volumes over the last decade.

The proposal's prominent sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), called the bill a "pro-farm" measure, noting that Wisconsin produces some of the largest amounts of vegetables like green beans in the nation. He noted the bill failed last session and has seen extensive debate and some changes.

"This is a good bill. It's solid. It doesn't go too far," Fitzgerald. "You could have a bill that goes way farther than this. I've seen those. This bill is not that."

The bill would bar state Department of Natural Resources officials from reviewing the impact of wells drawing more than 100,000 gallons daily.

Democrats pointed out that the vegetable farms and dairies are already doing well in central Wisconsin under current rules. They cautioned that letting some businesses draw more than they should will eventually lead to shortages, not plenty, and uncertainty for farmers, not stability.

"The only certainty that this is going to create is that there'll be less water and in some places there won't be water at all," Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) said.

The proposal is opposed by environmentalists and waterfront property owners, who say the bill is the latest example of weakening oversight of public waters and of large wells. Supporters say the measure enforces an important property right for farmers and others who depend heavily on water to grow crops and feed and clean cattle.

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On a party-line vote Tuesday, GOP senators amended the bill to require the DNR to conduct a hydrological study in one of the most affected regions of the state — sandy central Wisconsin — to determine whether large wells are causing harm there. If wells are to blame, the DNR would have three years to make recommendations to lawmakers.