Regional Water Quality Management Plan Update

Planning Background

In 1979, the Commission completed and adopted a regional water quality management plan. The plan was designed, in part, to meet the Congressional mandate that the waters of the United States be made “fishable and swimmable” to the extent practical. It is set forth in SEWRPC Planning Report No. 30, A Regional Water Quality Management Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin: 2000, Volume One, Inventory Findings, September 1978; Volume Two, Alternative Plans, February 1979; and Volume Three, Recommended Plan, June 1979.

The regional water quality management plan, as well as the update currently under preparation, provides recommendations for the control of water pollution from such point sources as sewage treatment plants, points of separate and combined sewer overflow, and industrial waste outfalls. It also recommends controlling such nonpoint sources as urban and rural stormwater runoff. In addition to clear and concise recommendations for the control of water pollution, the plan provides the basis for:

• Continued eligibility of local units of government for Federal and State loans and grants in partial support of sewerage system development and redevelopment;
• Issuance of waste discharge permits by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR);
• Review and approval of public sanitary sewer extensions by the WDNR; and
• Review and approval of private sanitary sewer extensions and large onsite sewage disposal systems and holding tanks by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

Subsequently, the Commission completed a report documenting the updated content and implementation status of the regional water quality management plan as amended over approximately its first 15 years: SEWRPC Memorandum Report No. 93, A Regional Water Quality Management Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin: An Update and Status Report, March 1995. This status report also documents the extent of progress which had been made toward meeting the water use objectives and supporting water quality standards set forth in the regional plan.