The Dane County Water Quality Plan (DCWQP) outlines the condition of our region’s water resources and guides how we protect and manage them. It serves as the foundation for regional efforts like water quality monitoring, sewer service area planning, and broader environmental resource planning. CARPC is responsible for maintaining and implementing the plan.
At the center of the DCWQP is the Summary Plan—a high-level document that ties together the plan’s technical appendices. Last updated in 2004, it’s due for a refresh. We’re now beginning a new update to ensure the plan reflects today’s data, priorities, and challenges.
A Bit of Background
In 1975, the Governor designated Dane County as an area with complex water quality challenges and tasked CARPC’s predecessor, the Dane County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC), with developing a comprehensive areawide water quality management plan.
The initial Dane County Water Quality Plan, along with its 11 technical appendices, was adopted and certified in 1979 as the official areawide plan for the region. Since then, the DCWQP has been regularly revised and expanded to reflect new data, evolving best practices, and changes in urban service area boundaries.
What We’re Doing
Over the coming months, we will:
- Update data, maps, and key findings
- Incorporate current priorities such as climate change and environmental equity
- Integrate insights from recent technical appendices
- Refresh fact sheets to clearly communicate key concepts
This work is supported in part by funding from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
What’s Next
We’re planning a multi-pronged outreach effort to help identify the water quality issues most important to the region, clarify CARPC’s role in addressing them, and shape a plan structure that is as useful and accessible as possible.
There will be multiple opportunities for regional stakeholders and the public to review materials and provide input that will guide the plan’s content and recommendations.
A draft plan update will be available for review in late 2026, followed by a public hearing prior to Commission action. We anticipate recommending approval and adoption of the updated Summary Plan to the DNR in early 2027.
Get Involved
Want to take a deeper dive? More information, including digital versions of the current Summary Plan and all technical appendices, is available on the Dane County Water Quality Plan website.
You can also:
- Submit feedback at any time to PublicComment@capitalarearpc.org
- Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates
