This map viewer was created for use by the general public to view water quantity data collected by Wisconsin DNR (WDNR), the US Geological Survey (UGSG) and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS).
This viewer also provides a means for the public to view pending high capacity well applications and recently approved wells. As required by Wisconsin law, these locations are generalized to display at the public land survey section level. Therefore, any well or surface water intake is symbolized by the section in which is located. Clicking identify on sections may return multiple records, one for each data point. This viewer contains a number of layer groups:
Well Applications and Approvals – This layer displays the locations of pending and approved high capacity well applications. It includes:
High capacity wells that have been applied for by the owner but have not yet been approved by the Department
High capacity wells approved in the last 30 days
High capacity wells approved by WDNR but that have not yet been constructed
High Capacity Withdrawal Locations – This layer show the location of high capacity wells constructed and available for use as well as currently registered high capacity surface water withdrawals. It includes:
Existing high capacity wells
Existing surface water withdrawals
USGS Water Quantity Monitoring – This layer shows the locations of groundwater level monitoring points, streamflow gages, and lake level gages monitored and recorded by USGS. It includes currently active monitoring locations as well as historical monitoring locations. Symbol sizes are scaled according to the number of measurements taken at each location.
WDNR Water Quantity Monitoring Groundwater Protection Features – This layer shows the locations of streamflow and lake level measurements maintained by WDNR. It includes a variety of measurement types taken by WDNR staff, partner organizations, county staff and volunteers.
WGNHS Spring Monitoring – This layer shows the location of springs surveyed by WGNHS staff between 2015 and 2017. Note that spring flow varies seasonally and annually. In addition, many spring locations are located on private land and not accessible by the public without landowner permission.
Groundwater Protection Features – This layer displays the locations of groundwater protection features as defined by Wisconsin Rule NR820. It includes trout streams, outstanding and exceptional water resources, and springs with a flow rate surveyed by WGNHS of 1 cubic foot per second (CFS) or greater. Note that all 1 CFS may not have been surveyed.
Guidance for how to use WDNR Geocortex viewers can be found here. For more information, please contact the water use section at 608-266-2299 or at DNRWATERUSEREGISTRATION@wisconsin.gov
