The Site-Specific Criterion for Phosphorus of 10 μg/L is Finally Approved by the State of Wisconsin!
The site-specific criterion (SSC) of 10 μg/L for phosphorus for Lac Courte Oreilles was approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature following the recommendation of WDNR’s Natural Resources Board and Governor Evers. The rule will soon be recorded in the Wisconsin Administrative Register.
This is a tremendous victory for Lac Courte Oreilles. The SSC proposal to lower the limit from 15 to 10 μg/L was first sent to WDNR in March 2016 by COLA and the LCO Tribe. Now, nearly seven years later, we’ve finally been rewarded with an acknowledgement that the LCO lakes deserve greater protection.
A huge challenge remains. The new 10 μg/L phosphorus standard can only be reached by voluntary actions because all sources of phosphorus on LCO are currently regarded as “non-point” under the Clean Water Act. This means that there are no regulatory measures available under federal or state law to control phosphorus pollution.
More than 40% of the readily-controllable phosphorus is coming from the cranberry marshes on LCO. The discharges from the marshes can be cleaned up by recycling water by the use of holding ponds. COLA, the LCO Tribe, and the WDNR will renew efforts to bring the cranberry growers into an alliance dedicated to reducing phosphorus pollution.
A final thanks to all who, over the last seven years, have written letters, attended meetings, and otherwise supported COLA and the LCO Tribe. This has been a rough road, but well worth traveling.
Now let’s celebrate a much-needed victory on behalf of the LCO lakes.