Immediate action required to save Wisconsin's water

Clean water is just about the most fundamental thing any living thing requires. We are so fortunate in our area to still have streams and underground water resources that are relatively clean (thanks to decades of work by environmental activists). But when money is your religion, then everything is for sale including the future health of our families, wildlife and environment.

Please heed the Wisconsin League of Conservation's warning:

ACT NOW: Stop Death by a Thousand Straws

We need your help right now to make sure Wisconsin’s groundwater crisis doesn’t get worse.

You’ve heard us talk about water problems in the Central Sands of Wisconsin, where over 3,000 wells each pump as much as 100,000 gallons of groundwater per day. These wells are literally making lakes, rivers, and drinking water wells run dry – it’s death by a thousand straws for our groundwater.

A recently introduced bill, Senate Bill 239/Assembly Bill 874, does more than leave us without solutions – it actually makes our groundwater problem worse by locking the door on future fixes and throwing away the key!

SB 239/AB 874 would grant "forever permits," allowing major water users to continue guzzling large quantities of water in perpetuity. Once a property has a permit to pump, the Department of Natural Resources wouldn’t be able to revisit those permits, even when over pumping is impacting lakes, rivers, and drinking water wells. It’s truly ‘till death do us part.

Wisconsin must have the ability to review all the "straws in the drink" and manage the water so that our rivers, lakes, wetlands, and drinking water are protected. After all, groundwater provides drinking water for 70% of Wisconsin citizens, supplies water for industries and businesses in 97% of Wisconsin communities, sources nearly all crop irrigation, and sustains springs, lakes, and rivers.

Take action now, and help us make sure Death by a Thousand Straws doesn’t become law. 

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