Ag Brief: April all milk price reached $18.80
Wisconsin State Farmer
No one injured in FDL Co. barn fire
Eight fire departments responded to a barn fire in Fond du Lac County over Memorial Day weekend. According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff s Office, the Commuications Center received a 911 call regarding a barn fire at W247 Kiel Road, in the Township of Calumet.
Officials reported that the fire was contained to the foundation level of the barn. Miscellaneous wood items inside were destroyed. No people or livestock were injured. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
EDEN, WI
A new study by the state Department of Natural Resources shows that high-capacity wells have been reducing the level of three lakes in the Central Sands region, affecting ecosystems and recreation in the area.
The study was built on decades of studies evaluating groundwater and surface water connections in the region, in addition to evaluations over the past three years conducted by DNR staff.
High-capacity wells have long been a source of tension in the region, with lawsuits filed by environmental groups pushing back against such high rates of withdrawals from one single area.
High-capacity wells have the ability to withdraw more than 100,000 gallons of water a day from the ground and are usually used for agricultural purposes, such as irrigation. In 2018, the last year with available data, there were 14,000 high-capacity wells in the state, with 3,100 of those located within the study area.
High-capacity wells found to reduce lake levels in region of Wisconsin thenorthwestern.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenorthwestern.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
WI DNR
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released a draft report summarizing its Central Sands Lakes Study and is accepting public comment on the results.
Over the past three years, the DNR and partners have evaluated and modeled the impacts of groundwater withdrawals from high-capacity wells on Pleasant, Long and Plainfield Lakes in Waushara County, as required by state law. The Central Sands Lakes Study built on decades of studies evaluating groundwater and surface water connections in the Central Sands region.
While the three study lakes fluctuate naturally, the DNR determined that groundwater withdrawals for irrigated agriculture significantly reduce water levels on two of three study lakes: Long and Plainfield.