Relaxing High-Capacity Well Regulation

This bill was proposed by Republican legislators to relax the existing legislation concerning high-capacity wells by exempting replacement wells, and wells which have undergone ownership transfers, from review by state regulators.  This would allow existing high-capacity wells to continue pumping at their present rates, which scientific studies suggest are oftentimes unsustainably high, without any meaningful oversight or review.  Proponents of the bill tout their study provision within the bill as a control on abuse and over pumping, but these studies do not have to occur until four years after the transfer or replacement, meanwhile allowing years of possibly reckless extraction.  The bill could have far-reaching harms, and could end up hurting property owners, farmers, recreationists, and all Wisconsinites who cherish and depend on our surface and groundwater resources.