The policy-setting board for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is set to vote Wednesday on whether the agency can begin crafting groundwater standards for roughly two dozen pesticides.
The DNR is proposing to set health-based standards for 22 pesticides that have already been detected or are highly likely to be found in groundwater, said Carla Romano, the agency’s groundwater section manager.
The DNR has requested that the Department of Health Services develop those health-based standards, which state health officials intend to provide in November. Some farm groups want to see the Natural Resources Board postpone any decision until those thresholds are developed, said Jason Mugnaini, executive director of government relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.
“It’s kind of something that is making people anxious at the moment because it could potentially impact farmers’ bottom lines down the road,” Mugnaini said.
He said restrictions on pesticides could cause farmers to use alternative practices that may be more damaging to the environment or force them to use more costly alternatives that could affect their livelihood. He questioned the DNR’s stance that the economic impact of any rule would be minimal without knowing recommended standards.
In a joint statement, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance and Venture Dairy Cooperative said the 2023 survey showed most pesticides proposed for regulation were found in only a handful of locations at low levels.
“The most recent evidence cited by the state suggests a low risk and a limited prevalence of most of the listed compounds contaminating groundwater at a meaningful concentration or geographic distribution,” the groups wrote.