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Outreach Programs
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Water Resources
Youth Water Education
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Discovery Farms

Information about hazardous waste collection programs in Wisconsin


National Projects and Initiatives
Farm and Home Environmental Management Programs
Great Lakes Regional Water Quality Coordination
USDA CSREES National Facilitation Projects
Changing Public Behavior
Pollution Assessment and Prevention
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
Water Outreach Education--Best Education Practices

Water Resources

ERC, in cooperation with UW Madison Department of Soils, supports an intensive series of professional development courses each year on water resource management and on-site waste management for local public officials. UW Stevens Point lake and ground water programs address a number of other water resource management topics.

Water resource management issues include: shoreland habitat protection, phosphorus and other nutrient management issues, source water protection, government land conservation programs designed to improve water quality, agriculture and non-agriculture performance standards, and water treatment/sewage treatment standards to protect water quality.

In spite of modern technology, many community water supplies fail to meet appropriate health standards for drinking water quality. Sometimes problems arise from the age of a community system or a previously unknown type of pollution that the system is not designed to treat. Issues this year include radionuclides, corrosion issues, and cold weather operations. Bacterial contamination from source water uses has been a topic in the past.

Adult and youth volunteer involvement in local water conservation and management has also been demonstrated to play an instrumental role in supporting local improvements. The ERC is the national home for Educating Young People About Water and Give Water A Hand. Educating Young People About Water resources guide youth leaders and water management teams in designing successful water education programs and in choosing education materials that help youth relate their knowledge about water to local issues. Give Water A Hand provides youth with an expert-reviewed Action Guide which they can use to inventory local water management strengths and identify management gaps. Water Action Volunteers provides activities, equipment, and a network of volunteers interested in taking local action. These resources are designed for volunteer education or use, provide county educators with a quick entry point into meeting this need.

Links

Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center

Educating Young People About Water

Give Water A Hand

Project WET Wisconsin

Water Action Volunteers

Water Quality and Natural Resources Education

Wisconsin's Basin Initiative

Wisconsin Lakes Partnership

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