Wisconsin legislation allows regulated point sources to partner with stakeholders to implement watershed-wide strategies to reduce nutrient and sediment loadings to surface waters. This can be a more cost-effective way to meet water quality and total maximum daily load (TMDL) goals than traditional construction of treatment facilities. NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is completing a watershed adaptive management program as part of their current discharge permit. The selected Action Area of the Ashwaubenon and Dutchman Creeks sub-watersheds covers 38,700 acres and requires a TMDL reduction of approximately 19,000 pounds of phosphorus and 3.9 million pounds of TSS per year. Because significant work is required to achieve these goals, the program delegates workloads across a highly diverse team, identifies and prioritizes installation of management practices, coordinates with landowners and agricultural operators, manages grants, and manages contracts for individual management practices. In addition, progress made by team members is tracked in real-time and compared against regulatory requirements and program goals. Jacobs developed several digital solutions to address large complex datasets and program management. Watershed-based programs are new, unfamiliar endeavors for wastewater facilities and can seem daunting to manage. By efficiently leveraging data and utilizing tools like GIS, custom mobile applications, real-time dashboards, and automated workflows, managing a program of this size is more attainable than before. This case study demonstrates a watershed approach for permit compliance, the decision-making criteria that supported this approach, and the innovative technology-based solutions that have enabled success.
