Adams County unveils draft 10‑year land and water plan, sets Dec. 2 state review

Colton, a planner with the Adams County Land and Water Department, presented a draft 10‑year land and water resource management plan to the county committee at its Nov. 4 meeting, outlining goals, statutory foundations and next steps for state review.

The plan identifies overarching goals to ‘‘create a culture where landowners take ownership of their impact on the environment; protect and improve groundwater quality and quantity as well as surface water quality; reduce wind erosion; engage and support our local youth and conservation efforts; achieve no net loss of existing wetlands; and promote working forests,’’ Colton said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The draft ties local priorities to state law and administrative code, which shapes how counties identify sites for technical assistance and allocate limited grant and staff resources. Colton said the plan’s goals were developed with a resource advisory committee that included representatives from DATCP, the Department of Natural Resources, NRCS, watershed groups, farmers and other local stakeholders.

Key details: Colton told the committee the draft plan is grounded in the statutory intent of Chapter 92 and administrative code ATCP 50 (land and water resource management planning). It includes a resource assessment (land use, soils, watersheds, forestry and climate trends), a chapter on performance standards adopted under Wisconsin Act 27, and an implementation section that will feed annual work plans.

Priority‑farm criteria: The draft lists six criteria the county will use to identify farms for priority assistance: unfiltered stormwater runoff entering state waters; conversion of forest to cropland; newly developed or irrigated fields; farms in areas with high nitrate well contamination; Farmland Preservation participants out of compliance with pollution controls; and farms located within TMDL subbasins or 9‑element watershed plans that meet one of the other criteria.

Outreach and nutrient management: Colton said the county will shift from primarily responding to complaints to a more proactive outreach model, using a DATCP nutrient management farmer education grant to recruit farmers in priority areas to update nutrient management plans and meet NRCS standard 590. ‘‘We have the nutrient management farmer education grant, that we're leaning on here in the future where we're gonna reach out. Instead of waiting for them to reach out, we're gonna reach out to these farmers that we see in these priority areas,’’ Colton said.

Soil testing and data: The plan references soil‑sampling cadence for nutrient management plans (Colton said producers typically maintain one soil test per acre every four years) and described how test locations and legal descriptions are recorded in the SnapPlus database. Surface water samples collected by volunteers and staff are entered into SWIMS, the statewide surface water database, Colton said.

Climate and forests: DATCP urged counties to include climate resiliency language; Colton said the draft acknowledges climate trends and the influence of climate on soils and forests, and recommends adjusting the county forest plan over time. The plan also documents past accomplishments and partner cooperation on grants, education, best management practices and monitoring.

Process and timing: Colton told the committee he had incorporated DATCP and DNR suggested edits received the prior week and planned to submit the plan and required materials to DATCP ahead of a state board meeting on Dec. 2. If the state board approves (or approves with edits), Colton said the plan will return to the county committee and county board in December for local action. He said he would email the full draft to committee members later in the week to allow additional review.

Committee concerns: Committee members asked for clarifications about how farmers would be engaged, what specific practices would be encouraged and why soil testing is often done in the fall versus spring. Colton said certified crop advisers assist farmers in sampling and drafting nutrient plans and that testing can occur in both spring and fall to build a yearly dataset.

What’s next: Colton will submit the final draft to DATCP for state board consideration Dec. 2 and will send the committee the draft document for review prior to the county’s December meetings.