Wisconsin
Wisconsin Statutes, Ch. 30 – Persons diverting water need DNR permit, except if diverting to maintain navigable waterbody or waterway, or diversion for agricultural or irrigation purposes (30.18). Permit needed if diversion from any lake or stream results in loss of over 2,000,000 gallons of water over a person’s base amount in any 30-day period.
Wisconsin Statutes, Ch. 198 – treats municipal water districts as public utilities. Water utilities regulated by Public Service Commission under Wisc. Admin. Code sec. PSC 185, mandating operational and financial information to be filed with PSC and metering of water use (185.31).
Wisconsin Statutes, Ch. 280 – Water suppliers using aquifer storage and recovery systems must make bimonthly report to Dept. of Health (280.25). Health Dept. also responsible for licensing well drillers and regulating wells.
Wisconsin Statutes, Ch. 281 – Wells withdrawing more than 100,000 gpd in any 30-day period require DNR approval (281.17) and all withdrawals exceeding 100,000 gpd must register with the department.
Indiana
Indiana Code, Title 8, Art. 1.5 – Municipality can own/lease waterworks within its boundaries or within 6 miles of its boundaries, can exercise eminent domain within 25 miles of its boundaries to protect water services from injury or pollution, can establish by legislative declaration the need for such a water utility, and can set reasonable rates after a public hearing and approval by state utility commission.
Indiana Code, Title 13, Art. 26 – Authorizes creation of regional water supply districts, after petitioning Dept. of Environmental Management and filing a plan. Regional districts authorized to set reasonable rates and issue bonds.
Indiana Code, Title 14, Art. 25 – Establishes rights over potable, surface and ground water, including ability of Natural Resources Commission to restrict surface water withdrawals to protect stream levels and Dept. of Natural Resources to limit ground water withdrawals in areas where withdrawals are deemed to exceed the safe annual yield of the basin. In these restricted use areas, well owners need a DNR permit to withdraw more than 100,000 gpd. Well owners must also file water use information and well logs when area first designated a restricted use area. In restricted areas, DNR can also require metering for withdrawals over 100,000 gpd, order wasted water (including ground water used for cooling purposes) returned to the ground, and limit owners of flowing wells to restrict flow to less than 1,500 gpd. Well construction (Art. 12) and well drillers (Art. 13) regulated by Natural Resources Commission under Title 312, Indiana Administrative Code.
Illinois
220 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/, Public Utilities Act, requires private water utilities to file information and have their rates approved by Illinois Commerce Commission. Municipal and public water utilities and mutual water companies not charging fees or rates are not defined as “public utilities” under the ICC’s jurisdiction (220 ILCS 5/3-105).
415 Illinois Compiled Statutes 55, the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act, and the state’s Environmental Protection Act, 415 ILCS 5-14, both promote groundwater protection measures. The two statutes establish the state’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on Groundwater, provide for a statewide groundwater quality monitoring program, create setback zones around wellheads, and allow Illinois EPA to designate recharge areas where land uses with high pollution potential become subject to more stringent regulation (including increased groundwater monitoring and even closure for very high risk activities).
525 Illinois Compiled Statutes 45, the state’s Water Use Act of 1983, authorizes limited management of groundwater quantities for areas outside the Lake Michigan water service area. The Water Use Act provides that the Soil and Water Conservation District must be notified of all new wells exceeding 100,000 gpd capacity so that well interference issues can be identified and assessed. The local districts, in turn, are directed to notify local units of government whose water supplies might be disrupted and are authorized to contact the Illinois State Water Survey to undertake such impact assessments. Water use conflicts can be resolved by the local soil and water conservation district recommending that a limit be placed on pumpage from such wells when well interference is likely.
615 Illinois Compiled Statutes 50, Level of Lake Michigan Act, requires diversion permit for Lake Michigan water from state Dept. of Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources, and established notice and consent process with other Great Lakes governors, as required by 1986 federal Water Resources Development Act. Procedures for DNR issuing allocation permit set forth in 17 Ill. Admin. Code, Part 3770.
June 2003
Thanks to Martin Jaffe, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program
| Program | Scope | Agency | Sub-Agency |
Detail
|
| Quality | State | Illinois Environmental Protection Agency | Bureau of Water, Division of Public Water Supplies |
Manages safety and quality
of groundwater
|
| Quality | State | Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management | Office of Water Quality, Drinking Water Branch |
Manages safety and quality
of groundwater
|
| Quality | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater |
Manages safety and quality
of groundwater
|
| Quality | Federal | United States Geological Survey | Water Resources Discipline |
Modeling and analysis
of groundwater quality
|
| Wells | State | Illinois Environmental Protection Agency | Bureau of Water, Division of Public Water Supplies |
Manages well standards,
permits for location, protects well heads. Searchable databases for
existing well locations.
|
| Wells | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
Manages well standards,
permits for location, protects well heads. Searchable databases for
existing well locations.
|
| Wells | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater |
Manages well standards,
permits for location, protects well heads. Searchable databases for
existing well locations.
|
| Availability | State | Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources | Illinois State Water Survey, Groundwater Section |
Tracks groundwater availability
|
| Availability | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
Groundwater availability
map
|
| Availability | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater |
Availability monitored
under Groundwater Coordinating Committee
|
| Availability | Federal | United States Geological Survey | Water Resources Discipline |
Data on water use, water
quantity, and aquifer storage
|
| Demand | State | Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources | Illinois State Water Survey, Groundwater Section |
Looks at past demand,
current recharge, and future needs
|
| Demand | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
10-year historical water
use trends by county
|
| Demand | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater |
Measures drinking water
demand
|
| Demand | Federal | United States Geological Survey | Water Resources Discipline |
Prepares annual water
use estimate
|
| Research | State | Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources | Illinois State Water Survey, Groundwater Section |
Primary agency for groundwater
survey and research
|
| Research | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
Primary agency for groundwater
survey and research
|
| Research | State | Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey | Water and The Environment |
Primary agency for groundwater
survey and research
|
| Research | Federal | United States Geological Survey | Water Resources Discipline |
Annual hydrologic-data report per state, with historicals, as well as research |
| Program | Scope | Agency | Sub-Agency |
Detail
|
| Withdrawal | State | Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources | Office of Water Resources, Resource Management |
Regulates rivers, lakes,
and streams, withdrawals recorded against normal flow levels
|
| Withdrawal | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
Oversees registration
of significant water withdrawal facilities (over 100,000 gal per day)
|
| Withdrawal | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Waterway and Wetlands Permits |
Regulates rivers, lakes,
and streams; issues permits for irrigation withdrawals
|
| Watershed management | State | Illinois Environmental Protection Agency | Bureau of Water, Watershed Management Section |
Manages watershed resource
inventories, watershed management planning and implementation of watershed
management plans
|
| Watershed management | State | Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management | Office of Water Quality, Planning and Restoration Branch |
Manages federal programs
and watershed planning, water quality management planning, and NPDES
related state programs
|
| Watershed management | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Great Lakes and Watershed Planning Section |
Oversees watershed protection,
planning, and regulation
|
| Program | Scope | Agency | Sub-Agency |
Detail
|
| Usage/ Allocation |
State | Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources | Office of Water Resources, Resource Management |
Allocates diversion
of water from Lake Michigan
|
| Usage | State | Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Technical Services Branch |
Oversees registration
of significant water withdrawal facilities (over 100,000gal per day)
|
| Usage | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Great Lakes and Watershed Planning Section |
Protects and manages
Great Lakes usage; oversees International Joint Commission regulations
|
| Quality | State | Illinois Environmental Protection Agency | Bureau of Water, Division of Water Pollution Control |
Manages safety and quality
of drinking water
|
| Quality | State | Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management | Officer of Water Quality, Planning and Restoration Branch |
Manages safety and quality
of drinking water
|
| Quality | State | Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | Division of Water, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater |
Oversees drinking water
quality for Lake Michigan, Superior, and Winnebago
|