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Oconomowoc council adopts stronger wellhead protection rules, limits stormwater-pond chemicals
Summary
The council approved an amendment to the municipal zoning code (section 117.115) to expand wellhead protection requirements for shallow aquifers, requiring hazardous-chemical inventories, spill containment and emergency response plans, limiting some pond treatments to NSF 60 products, and adding development review by planning and utility staff.
The Oconomowoc Common Council voted to adopt ordinance 25-01074, amending section 117.115 of the city zoning ordinance to strengthen wellhead protection requirements for areas that feed municipal drinking wells.
Scott Osborne, speaking for city utilities, said the change extends protections beyond the deep sandstone municipal wells to include the city’s shallow sand-and-gravel aquifers and the city’s new Well 8. Osborne said the ordinance will require hazardous-chemical inventories, spill-containment measures and emergency response plans for sites within designated wellhead protection areas; it will also restrict chemical treatments for stormwater ponds to NSF 60–type products unless otherwise approved and require planning and utility department review for new developments.
Osborne described three protection-area measures tied to individual wells: Well 6 (about a 1,700‑foot radius), Well 7 (a 1,200‑foot radius) and Well 8 (a highly transmissive shallow‑aquifer well with an approximate 3,500‑foot time‑of‑travel radius). He said the city’s existing ordinance dated to the mid-1990s and focused on deeper wells drilled after 1992; the amendment is intended to address risks specific to shallow wells.
During the public hearing, Doug Kaiser, who said he represents the Village Crossing condominium association at 1796 Linden Court, described concerns that limiting pond chemical treatments could leave some stormwater ponds overgrown with weeds. Kaiser said a delayed or eliminated spring treatment in a nearby pond had produced an unattractive result and asked staff to explore nonchemical management like cutting or harvesting. Osborne and council members said staff will work with stormwater districts and pond managers to seek mechanical or manual alternatives where chemical options are restricted.
Council members also discussed the limits of city jurisdiction in protection areas that extend beyond municipal boundaries; Osborne said the city will coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and rely on public education and border agreements where necessary.
A motion to adopt the ordinance and waive the second reading passed by roll call vote: Aldermen Rosick, Altman Kloth, Ellis, Spiegelberg, Mulder, Shellpepper and Maroney voted yes (7–0). The ordinance requires plan and utility review for new developments in the mapped protection areas and imposes inventory and emergency-response requirements for hazardous chemicals within those areas.
