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Committee moves forward on land and water plan technical subcommittee and quicker nitrate screening
Summary
The committee discussed creating a 5‑member technical subcommittee to help rewrite the county’s land and water management plan, debated accelerating nitrate screening and increasing engagement with agricultural landowners, and reviewed rough funding figures for BMP cost‑share programs.
St. Croix County planning staff and supervisors discussed steps to update the county’s land and water management plan and create a technical subcommittee on July 9.
Staff explained the county’s current land and water plan covers 2018–2028 and requires state review, with a targeted DNR/DATCP review date of April 2028. To support the rewrite, staff proposed a technical subcommittee of five members: two community development committee members (deliberately fewer than a quorum), one county board member not on the CDC, and two public members (including one Wisconsin Conservation Congress representative). An advisory committee of 11–12 stakeholders (agriculture representatives, lake associations, public health, towns, businesses and private‑well owners) would provide broader input.
Committee members urged a faster operational focus: one supervisor asked staff for recommendations to accelerate countywide nitrate screening (described in the meeting as screening rather than full laboratory tests) for next year. Another supervisor urged greater incentives and cost‑share flexibility to increase BMP uptake on cropland; staff provided recent budget context, saying the county had invested roughly $400,000 in cost‑share projects across recent years, of which about $30,000 came from local tax dollars and the rest from grants and state programs. Staff noted some grants (e.g., the state ‘trim’ grant) have caps and reporting requirements and that landowner participation is often the limiting factor in spending available funds.
Supervisors also suggested the subcommittee examine karst geology and sinkhole vulnerability where relevant, noise and cooling implications for future infrastructure, and strategies for prioritizing nitrate reduction projects. Staff proposed a draft timeline to develop baseline conditions, gather stakeholder input, identify priorities (nitrate contamination, groundwater, high‑capacity wells), review BMPs and funding options, and deliver a revised plan to the committee for eventual submission to the state in 2028. For near‑term “quick wins” supervisors suggested the CDC take immediate agenda items (screening events, education, small grant requests) while the technical subcommittee forms for the formal plan rewrite.
