Cleaner water: County leaders commit to prioritize health of Green Bay, Fox River

Green Bay Press Gazette

More Wisconsin waterways and water supplies are being threatened by depleted groundwater, large-scale manure runoff, and efforts to roll back phosphate restrictions.

GREEN BAY - They hope it will be an important first step in keeping some of Wisconsin's major waterways clean for generations to come.

Leaders from Brown, Outagamie, Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties and the Oneida Tribe of Indians made a public commitment Tuesday to work together to reduce the amount of phosphorous and other harmful nutrients going into the Fox River, Lake Winnebago and the bay of Green Bay.

"We've gotten to the point that we need to do something about this," Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel said before he and other leaders signed the Northeast Wisconsin Water Quality Pact. "We need to make sure all the water that runs into (the bay of) Green Bay stays clear."

The leaders didn't commit to a timeline or specific steps, but signed on to a document that calls for developing a strategy to reduce the nutrient pollution that enters rivers and lakes from farms and lawns. They say that will benefit the people who use the waterways for fishing and recreation and the communities in which those people live.

"The steps we are taking today are going to affect future generations," said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.

READ THE AGREEMENT: Northeast Wisconsin Water Quality Pact

Streckenbach said he supports the agreement in part so that his 10-year-old daughter and other children of her generation will be able to enjoy the region's lakes and rivers just as he did as a child. He said the counties likely will have more success in achieving that goal if they work as a group to seek support from the state and federal governments.

Too much nitrogen and phosphorus — materials often used in fertilizers —in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

That often creates large "blooms" of algae that kill fish and other aquatic life by starving them of oxygen. Algal blooms can also harm humans who come in contact with polluted water or contaminated fish.

Kewaunee County dairy farmer Chuck Kinnard walks a grassed waterway on his land, built to keep runoff from contaminating groundwater. Like many farmers here, he is acutely aware of what a thin layer of soil protects the bedrock below.

While farming produces a significant amount of runoff, acts like improperly disposing of lawn clippings can make the algae problem worse, said Jessica Schultz, executive director of the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, a Kimberly-based nonprofit that works to restore, protect and sustain water resources in Northeastern Wisconsin.

A simple act like sweeping grass clippings from the sidewalk to the lawn keeps potential lake-harming nutrients from entering the water system, Schultz said. It also benefits the homeowner because the nutrients stay where they do the most good — on the lawn.

Farmers, meanwhile, can reduce phosphorous runoff by planting certain "cover crops," Streckenbach said.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he and his peers will be asking other counties along the Fox and the bay of Green Bay to join the group in committing to reduce water pollution.

County leaders signed the agreement at the Lambeau Field Atrium Tuesday during the alliance’s 20th Annual Watershed Conference. Besides Nelson, Streckenbach and Buechel, Oneida Nation Vice Chairman Brandon Stevens, and Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris signed the pact.