For the City Times

The DNR, at the request of Senator Lassa and a bipartisan group of legislators, will discuss groundwater model at Stevens Point meeting.

Representatives of the Water Division of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will discuss the final outcome of their project to develop a groundwater flow and optimization model for the Little Plover River basin and the surrounding areas of the Central Sands Region at a meeting in Stevens Point on Apr. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event will take place in Michelsen Hall, NFAC 270 of the Noel Fine Arts Center on the UW-Stevens Point campus located at 1800 Portage Street in Stevens Point.  Dr. Ken Bradbury of the UW Extension and Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and Dr. Mike Fienen of the United States Geological Survey will give a presentation about the results of the Little Plover River Basin Groundwater Flow Modeling Project.  Attendees will also hear from Dan Helsel, DNR Natural Resources Manager; Eric Ebersberger, DNR Division of Environmental Management Deputy Division Administrator; Bob Smail, DNR Water Use Section Water Supply Specialist; and Adam Freihoefer, DNR Water Use Section Hydrologist.  Following the presentations, the public will have an opportunity to ask questions.

The meeting is being held at the request of a bipartisan group of central Wisconsin legislators, including Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point), Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point), Rep. Scott Krug (R-Wisconsin Rapids), and Rep. Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah).

“The Little Plover River project led to the development of a tool for understanding how various factors, including rainfall, geology, and high-capacity pumping, affect the levels of both ground and surface waters,” Sen. Lassa said.  “What the DNR learned in this project can now be applied to develop similar tools for other watersheds, and provides a basis for making evidence-based decisions on how best to manage our groundwater for everyone who relies on it. This meeting will be a chance for constituents to receive a thorough briefing on the Little Plover River project and to ask questions about how the DNR will move forward on this issue.”