Badger Beat Sorting out Details of NR 151 Groundwater quality standard has implications for Wisconsin potato production By Jed Colquhoun, professor, IPM program director and Extension specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Horticulture
We are into the heart of the growing season,
and understandably, are focused on the field and day-to-day agronomic decisions to produce high-quality crops this summer. Meanwhile, there is also a state rule process underway this summer that could have broad implications for potato production. These rules can be quite technical and may be off the radar right now as we pay attention to this year’s crop. So, the purpose of this article is to boil the topic down to some frequently asked questions and facts with the simple goals of awareness and informed participatory decisionmaking. What is NR 151? Chapter NR 151 in Wisconsin Administrative Code establishes runoff pollution standards for transportation, non-agricultural and agricultural facilities to meet water 40 BC�T June
quality standards. In the agricultural setting, statewide performance standards and prohibitions have been established in NR 151 for several water quality related topics such as manure storage facilities, phosphorus index and nutrient management. If the statewide standards do not achieve water quality standards, then the rule also allows for the creation of targeted performance standards specific to areas where water quality is at risk. The performance standards might be thought of as setting the goal or desired outcome. The performance standard outcomes described in NR 151 are then met through technical standards established in ATCP 50. The ATCP 50 rule prescribes conservation practices to meet the performance standard. In short, one way to think about it is that NR 151 on the Wisconsin
Above: There is also a state rule process underway this summer that could have broad implications for potato production. In the agricultural setting, statewide performance standards and prohibitions have been established in NR 151 for several water quality related topics such as manure storage facilities, phosphorus index and nutrient management.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) side sets the goal or performance standard, and ATCP 50 on the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) side sets the technical standard for how to meet the goal. What is proposed in the current NR 151 draft revision? NR 151 is revised periodically to meet water quality standards. In this case, NR 151 draft revisions are to reduce nitrogen leaching to groundwater such that the concentration is less than the groundwater enforcement standard of 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of nitrate-nitrogen. This enforcement standard is set to protect human health and reduce detrimental environmental effects. The draft NR 151 revisions include the following aspects to achieve this goal: •A nitrogen leaching limit of less
