Support River Alliance with a year-end contribution: a note from Ken Bradbury
Support River Alliance with a year-end contribution: a note from Ken Bradbury
Wisconsin is a water state. But water doesn’t know the boundaries of towns, counties, or state lines. Water is an ebbing and flowing thing, and managing the water we share takes a great deal of communication, planning, science, and leadership.
When we need a strong advocate for clean and plentiful water, we can look to River Alliance of Wisconsin to be a leader to combine technical expertise with people power.
My firsthand experience with River Alliance’s work was during debates over water management in the Central Sands region of Wisconsin. Droughts had plagued the area, lake and river levels dramatically dropped, and farms that pumped high-capacity wells for irrigation strained the limited water resources.
River Alliance was a strong advocate for good water management in the Central Sands. When local government and state legislators held hearings, the testimony of River Alliance staff and the community members they supported were critical in persuading leaders and water groups to take action. River Alliance supported the use of groundwater modeling tools created by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and U.S. Geological Survey, reminding people that these are scientific tools to use and help guide decision makers.
In Central Wisconsin, River Alliance members and staff used their understanding of science, politics and policy making, and leadership development at the local level to bring people together around a common goal of protecting water.
Next, we need to tackle PFAS contamination in our state. River Alliance of Wisconsin is pushing for our state to have better standards that limit pollution in our groundwater and drinking water. These standards have to evolve along with our better understanding of toxins, where they come from, and how to limit them in our environment.
We’ve seen toxins in our environment before. When we needed to confront problems with agrichemicals such as aldicarb and atrazine, we used the best science we had available. We were told that regulating or eliminating those chemicals would destroy agriculture, but it didn’t. Limiting or eliminating PFAS chemicals in our water isn’t impossible, but it will be one of the most challenging antipollution efforts we’ve ever faced. Advocating for legislative action to address PFAS pollution is one of River Alliance’s top policy priorities for 2025.
Join me in supporting River Alliance with a gift today that will be matched by a group of fellow water advocates to support River Alliance’s work to address Wisconsin’s PFAS contamination problems and ensure our waters are clean and safe.
River Alliance is dedicated to solving the most serious, systemic water challenges. But the organization also knows how to have fun.
I joined fellow River Rats on a paddle on the Black River this summer and it was fantastic. The river trip was a great way to meet people, raise consciousness about our state’s water resources, and enjoy what unique sights the river had to offer. I got to discover new places, having never been on that stretch of the Black River before. I hope to take another paddle trip with River Alliance in the future.
Thanks so much for being an advocate for Wisconsin’s water. Your support with a generous year-end gift helps River Alliance continue to protect and restore our waters for everyone who calls Wisconsin home.
For our waters,
Ken Bradbury
Hydrogeologist and former State Geologist
The post Support River Alliance with a year-end contribution: a note from Ken Bradbury appeared first on River Alliance of WI.
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