281.348 Water supply service area plans for public water supply systems.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Compact's effective date" means the effective date of the Great Lakes — St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact under s. 281.343 (9) (d).
(b) “Cost-effectiveness analysis" means a systematic comparison of alternative means of providing a water supply in order to identify alternatives that will minimize total resources costs and maximize environmental benefits over a planning period.
(c) “Great Lakes basin" means the watershed of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River upstream from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
(cm) “Great Lakes council” means the Great Lakes — St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council, created under s. 281.343 (2) (a).
(d) “Public water supply" means water distributed to the public through a physically connected system of treatment, storage, and distribution facilities that serve a group of largely residential customers and that may also serve industrial, commercial, and other institutional customers.
(e) “Total resources costs" includes monetary costs and direct and indirect environmental as well as other nonmonetary costs.
(f) “Withdraw" means to take water from surface water or groundwater.
(g) “Withdrawal" means the taking of water from surface water or groundwater, including the taking of surface water or groundwater for the purpose of bottling the water.
(2) Determinations concerning applicability of requirements.
(a) For the purposes of this section, the surface water divide is used to determine whether a withdrawal of surface water or groundwater is from the Great Lakes basin.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the withdrawal of water from more than one source within the Great Lakes basin to supply a common distribution system is considered one withdrawal.
(3) Requirements.
(a)
1. The department shall establish, by rule, and administer a continuing water supply planning process for the preparation of water supply plans for persons operating public water supply systems. The period covered by a plan under this subsection may not exceed 20 years. A regional planning commission may prepare plans for persons operating public water supply systems.
2. A person operating a public water supply system that serves a population of 10,000 or more and that withdraws water from the waters of the state shall have an approved plan under this section no later than December 31, 2025.
(b) The department shall include in the process under par. (a) procedures and requirements for all of the following:
1. Public review and comment on a proposed plan. For a plan submitted after the compact's effective date covering a public water supply system that withdraws water from the Great Lakes basin, the procedures and requirements under this subdivision shall be consistent with s. 281.343 (6) (b).
2. Approval of a plan by the governing body of each city, village, and town whose public water supply is addressed by the plan before the plan is submitted to the department.
2m. Approval of a plan by the department.
3. Ensuring that plans remain current.
4. Intergovernmental cooperation.
5. Reopening or reconsideration by the department of a previously approved plan.
(bm) A person preparing a plan under par. (a) shall consider existing regional water needs assessments and other regional water supply planning information.
(c) A person preparing a plan under par. (a) shall include all of the following in the plan:
1. Delineation of the area for which the plan is being prepared and proposed water supply service areas for each public water supply system making a withdrawal covered by the plan, except as provided in par. (cm) or (cr).
2. An inventory of the sources and quantities of the current water supplies in the area.
3. A forecast of the demand for water in the area over the period covered by the plan.
3m. Identification of the existing population and population density of the area for which the plan is prepared and forecasts of the expected population of the area during the period covered by the plan based on growth projections for the area and municipally planned population densities.
4. Identification of the options for supplying water in the area for the period covered by the plan that are approvable under other applicable statutes and rules and that are cost-effective based upon a cost-effectiveness analysis of regional and individual water supply and water conservation alternatives.
5. An assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of carrying out specific significant recommendations of the plan.
6. A demonstration that the plan will effectively utilize existing water supply storage and distribution facilities and wastewater infrastructure to the extent practicable.
7. Identification of the procedures for implementing and enforcing the plan and a commitment to using those procedures.
8. An analysis of how the plan supports and is consistent with any applicable comprehensive plans, as defined in s. 66.1001 (1) (a), and applicable approved areawide water quality management plans under s. 283.83.
9. Other information specified by the department.
(cm) For the purposes of plans under par. (a), and except as provided in par. (cr), an areawide water quality planning agency designated by the governor under ch. NR 121, Wis. Adm. Code, shall delineate the proposed water supply service areas for all of the public water supply systems in the planning area for which the agency is designated. An areawide water quality planning agency shall delineate proposed water supply service areas that are consistent with the approved areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 for the planning area and that permit the development of plans that are approvable under par. (d). An areawide water quality planning agency may also provide regional water needs assessments and other regional water supply planning information. The process for conducting regional activities under this subsection may be the same as the process for regional water supply planning for a groundwater management area designated under s. 281.34 (9).
(cr) For the purposes of plans under par. (a), if the Great Lakes council approves a diversion area for a public water supply system proposing to make a diversion from the Great Lakes basin under s. 281.346 (4) (e), that diversion area shall be the water supply service area for purposes of this section and does not need to be consistent with the approved areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 for the planning area.
(d) The department may not approve a plan under this subsection unless all of the following apply:
1. The plan provides for a water supply system that is approvable under this section and other applicable statutes and rules based on a cost-effectiveness analysis of regional and individual water supply and water conservation alternatives.
2. The plan will effectively utilize existing water supply storage and distribution facilities and wastewater infrastructure to the extent practicable.
3. The plan is consistent with any applicable comprehensive plans, as defined in s. 66.1001 (1) (a).
4. Except as provided in par. (cr), the plan is consistent with any applicable approved areawide water quality management plans under s. 283.83.
5. Beginning on December 8, 2011, if the plan covers a public water supply system that withdraws water from the Great Lakes basin, the plan complies with any applicable requirements in s. 281.346 (5e).
(e) The department shall specify in a plan under this section a water supply service area for each public water supply system making a withdrawal covered by the plan. The department may not limit water supply service areas based on jurisdictional boundaries, except as necessary to prevent waters of the Great Lakes basin from being transferred from a county that lies completely or partly within the Great Lakes basin into a county that lies entirely outside the Great Lakes basin, or except where the water supply service area is delineated by a diversion area approved by the Great Lakes council under par. (cr).
(f) A person applying for an approval under s. 281.344 (4) or 281.346 (4) may use elements of an approved plan under this subsection to show compliance with requirements under s. 281.344 (4) or 281.346 (4) to which the plan is relevant.
(4) Withdrawal amount in certain plans. In a plan under this section that covers a public water supply system making a withdrawal from the Great Lakes basin, the department shall specify a withdrawal amount for the public water supply system equal to the greatest of the following:
(a) The amount needed for the public water supply system to provide a public water supply in the water supply service area in the plan during the period covered by the plan, as determined using the population and related service projections in the plan.
(b) If the withdrawal is covered by an individual permit issued under s. 281.344 (5) or 281.346 (5) when the department approves the plan, the withdrawal amount in that permit when the department approves the plan or, if the withdrawal is covered by a general permit issued under s. 281.344 (4s) or 281.346 (4s) when the department approves the plan, the withdrawal amount for the public water supply system in the database under s. 281.346 (4s) (i) when the department approves the plan.
History: 2007 a. 227; 2009 a. 28; 2017 a. 38.