Programs - Dane County Land Conservation


Dane County Land & Water Resources Land Conservation Division Conservation Programs


	Conservation Programs at the LCD / NRCS Field Office

	Both county and federal personnel in the Dane County LCD office assist landowners, landusers, and municipal units of government to meet their conservation objectives. The following is a brief summary of these conservation programs.









	Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) See FPP Web Pages for more information.

	Conservation Programs for Wisconsin Landowners See A Guide to Conservation Programs for Wisconsin Landowners - a brochure from the USDA-NRCS-Wisconsin web site that provides a quick reference to federal, state, and local conservation programs in Wisconsin.

	Administrative Rule NR 243 - Animal Waste Management This administrative rule applies to those livestock operations that discharge significant pollutants to the waters of the state. When a Notice of Discharge (NOD) is issued, the operation must apply corrective measures. Landowners may request technical assistance to meet their obligations identified in the NOD. Assistance in planning, design, construction inspection, and certification of completion according to standards is available. See Department of Natural Resources Administrative Code (use ch. nr 243) for more information.

	Erosion Control Plan (Agricultural Areas) - Chapter 92 Wis. Stats. ch. 92 requires counties with significant erosion on cropland to develop a plan that will achieve tolerable soil loss on all cropland by the year 2000. The plan was developed through a cooperative effort of the Dane County Land Records project. Several geographical map products for each township identify the extent of erosion problems, relative locations, and methods of achieving program goals. The Dane County Board adopted the plan on 2/18/88. As of 12/31/98, the average soil erosion rate on cropland decreased from 10.5 tons/acre/year to 4.1 tons/acre/year.

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	Manure Management and Storage Facilities Adopted in May 2005, the amended Chapter 14 of the Dane County Code of Ordinances regulates the design, construction, maintenance and proper abandonment of animal waste storage facilities and manure stacks. It includes the transfer of wastes into storage facilities; provides for adequate disposal of animal waste in order to prevent water pollution, and complies with provisions in NR 151 Agricultural Performance Standards as outlined in the Dane County Land and Water Resource Management Plan and ATCP 50.56. See the Manure Management web page for more information. Spreading Liquid Manure on Frozen Groud In early 2005, a series of runoff incidents occurred after the spreading of liquid manure on frozen ground. The runoff entered surface waters resulting in a fish kill and significant amounts of nutrient loading. As a result, the Dane County Manure Spreading Task Force was convened to address concerns about spreading liquid manure on frozen ground. The Task Force represented a wide array of interests and developed a set of spreading criteria and restrictions to mitigate runoff threats. These criteria have been incorporated into the Manure Storage and Utilization portion of Chapter 14, Dane County Code of Ordinances. The purpose of the ordinance amendment is to regulate the winter application of stored pumpable liquid manure in order to protect the health and welfare of Dane County’s residents and the economic and environmental value of the County’s natural resources. See the Manure Management web page for more information.

	Construction Site Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Adopted in 2001 by the Dane County Board, the amended Chapter 14 of the Dane County Code of Ordinances now includes county-wide stormwater management standards which address the quantity and quality of the water that runs off of areas under construction in urban and rural areas and on farms. The ordinance also provides flexibility for landowners in how they meet those standards, in recognition of the unique characteristics of each project and every site. Land Conservation staff review and approve erosion control and stormwater management permit applications for compliance with the county ordinance. See the Erosion Control & Stormwater Management web page for more information.



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	The Land Conservation Department's most significant functions are providing technical service and conservation planning assistance to landowners and units of government to help them meet their conservation objectives. In general, staff first assess any sources of erosion or pollution with the landowner and draft suggested solutions. If the landowner decides to install conservation practices, the LCD staff supervises the design and construction of the project and certifies it upon completion.

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Revised: January 16, 2007