Groundwater Website Map

Site Map

Understanding Groundwater

Kid's Stuff

Managing the Resource

Calendar

Teaching and Learning

I. Understanding Groundwater

A. Groundwater Basics

1. Water Cycle

a. Precipitation and runoff

b. Types of runoff and flow

2. Groundwater Definition

3. Groundwater Movement

a. Groundwater movement—a closer look

4. Groundwater Storage

5. Groundwater Uses

a. Collage of groundwater uses

6. Sources of Contamination

7. Protection Actions

8. Glossary of Terms

B. Portage County Groundwater Influencing Factors

1. Overview: Portage County Groundwater Conditions Report

a. Summary of report

b. Full report

2. County Demographics (includes a map)

a. List of PCGCAC representatives

3. Geology

a. Bedrock Geology

b. Bedrock of Portage County Map

c. Clipping of Portage County from Bedrock of Wisconsin Map

d. Geology of Unconsolidated Materials

e. Groundwater Provinces (Enlarged Map)

4. Land Use

5. Precipitation

a. Precipitation and Runoff

b. Types of runoff and flow

6. Soil and Aquifer Properties

a. texture: grain size, texture classification, soil series classification

i. black and white aerial photos from the Portage County Soil Survey

ii. soil association map from the Portage County Soil Survey

iii. general soils overlying the groundwater provinces map

b. porosity

c. specific yield

d. permeability

e. attenuation capacity (soil's filtering ability)

i. seven soil characteristics used to determine attenuation capacity

7. Topography

a. More types of topography maps

C. Portage County Groundwater Issues

1. Overview: Portage County Groundwater Conditions Report

a. Summary of report

b. Full report

2. Proposed Groundwater Management Goals and Strategies

3. Nitrate

a. What is nitrate and where does it come from?

b. Why is nitrate entering the groundwater?

c. What are the impacts of high nitrate levels?

d. What are nitrate levels in Portage County groundwater?

e. What actions can be taken to improve nitrate contamination in the groundwater?

4. Pesticides

5. Quantity

II. Managing the Resource

A. Agencies: federal, state and local

B. Laws & Regulations

C. Portage County Groundwater Citizens Advisory Committee (PCGCAC)

1. PCGCAC membership

2. PCGCAC Meeting Minutes 2001, 2000, 1999

3. Subcommittees

a. Groundwater Management Plan & Implementation (GMPI)

i. GMPI minutes 2001, joint minutes 2001, 2000, 1999

b. Public Involvement and Education (PIE)

i. PIE minutes 2001, joint minutes 2001, 2000, 1999

ii. PIE Activities

a) Educational 4-Page Piece

b) Slide Presentation on the current condition and management of Portage

County groundwater

c) Groundwater Resource Publication Guide and a two page Summary Brochure

d) Nitrate in your Groundwater Traveling Display

e) groundwater Newspaper Articles

f) this Portage County Groundwater Website

c. Continuous Assessment (CAS)

i. CAS minutes 2001, 2000

D. Portage County Groundwater Management Plan

1. Summary of this 1988 document

2. List of 1988 groundwater management activity recommendations

3. Proposed new goals and strategies

III. Teaching and Learning

A. Activities and Lessons

1. Groundwater Curriculum Foundations

a. Rationale

b. Mission Statement

c. Unit Overviews

d. Schematic

e. Overview of Suggested Lessons

f. Sample Activity

g. References

2. Lessons that directly support the Groundwater Curriculum

3. Miscellaneous activity ideas from other websites

B. Education Outreach Activities by the Portage County Citizens Advisory Committee

1. Groundwater Education Newsletter

2. Groundwater Resources & Publications Guide

a. Alphabetical Listing by brochure title

b. Annotated Listing with topic subheadings and brief content explanations

c. Issuing Agency/Organization

d. Portage County Specific Publications

e. Topic Listing by subheadings

f. Selected/Recommended Publications and Web Sites: a short list

3. Groundwater Slide Show Presentation

4. Newspaper Articles

a. articles written by PCGCAC

b. Other articles related to groundwater issues

c. Letters to the Editor

5. Nitrate in your Groundwater Traveling Display

6. Placemats: In the works...

C. Educational Resource Materials

1. Resources available within Portage County

2. Resources available elsewhere (outside the County)

D. Sand Tank Groundwater Flow Model: a physical model

1. Borrow a Model

2. Purchase a Model

3. 2001-2002 Grant Program

E. Water Testing & Soil Testing

IV. Taking Action

A. Agricultural Practices

1. Research

a. Community Supported Agricultural Diversification Research Project

b. Development and Evaluation of an Agricultural Chemical Fate Modeling System Using GIS

c. GIS Supported Modeling of Water Quality Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in the Tomorrow/Waupaca River Watershed

B. Chemical & Hazardous Material Use

C. Conserve Water

D. Get Involved & Stay Informed

1. Attend public meetings on groundwater and environmental issues

2. Attend workshops and conferences

3. Join organizations or clubs

4. Participate in volunteer projects or programs

E. Political Action

1. Vote on environmental issues and for elected officials/representatives

a. National voting record

b. Congressional District Map and Senate District Map

2. Attend public meetings and hearings on groundwater topics

3. Generate phone calls and letters to your elected officials

a. List of representatives

b. Congressional District Map and Senate District Map

c. Tips on writing to elected officials

4. Write letters to the editor of local newspapers

a. The Central Wisconsin Sunday

b. The Portage County Gazette

c. The Stevens Point Journal

d. The UWSP Pointer

e. The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

f. Tips for writing letters to the editor

5. Send your message to the media

a. Media list for newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations

6. Participate on a committee or subcommittee

7. Organize or volunteer to work on a community project

8. Initiate a bill, persuade your representative to write the bill, or start a petition

a. How a bill becomes law

9. Join a special interest group/organization

10. Links to political sites

F. Septic Systems

G. Waste Reduction

H. Water Testing and Soil Testing

I. Wells

J. Yard Maintenance Practices

V. Comments and Ideas

A. General comment/suggestion form

B. Specific groundwater comment form

C. Communicate with your municipality’s PCGCAC representative

D. Groundwater discussion room

1. Introduction page for first time users

2. Welcome page for discussion room

VI. Kid’s Stuff

A. Activities

B. Coloring Pages

C. Games

D. Groundwater Basics

VII. Calendar

A. January 2001

B. February 2001

C. March 2001

D. April 2001

E. May 2001

F. June 2001

G. July 2001

H. August 2001

A. Agencies

B. Links

1. Action-Oriented Programs or Projects (volunteer opportunities)

2. Background Information (information, data, maps, etc.)

3. Education Resource Materials (activities, curriculum, videos, etc.)

4. Managing Governmental Agencies (federal, state, regional)

5. Organizations (professional and environmental)

6. Political Information Sites

C. Groundwater references and publications guide

1. Alphabetical Listing by brochure title

2. Annotated Listing with topic subheadings and brief content explanations

3. Issuing Agency/Organization

4. Portage County Specific Publications

5. Topic Listing by subheadings

6. Selected/Recommended Publications and Web Sites: a short list

D. Website references

IX. What’s New

A. Latest additions to the website

B. Current issues in the news

C. Research reports and projects

X. Search

A. Site map

B. Search query

search query