General Definitions

AWQMP's for designated areas	Areawide water quality management plans - prepared by agencies designated by the governor. See designated planning agency below.
AWQMP's for nondesignated areas	Areawide water quality management plans, also known as basin plans, prepared by the WDNR or its agents. See contractual planning agency below.
Contractual planning agency	A water quality planning agency in a "nondesignated area" of the state. They have not been designated their water quality planning responsibilities by the governor, but are under contract with the WDNR to perform the work. Planning responsibilities are generally the same as the for designated planning agencies, including developing sewer service area plans and respond to plan amendment requests with an analysis and recommendations to the WDNR. They also review sewer extensions and certain plumbing plans and recommend that these plans are either in conformance or non-conformance with the approved sewer service area plan. Examples: The East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission conducts water quality planning work under contract with the WDNR including the area of the now-defunct designated management agency, the Fox Valley Water Quality Planning Authority. The North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has developed the sewer service area plan for the City of Merrill and will conduct the business of future plan amendments, and the City of Merrill has retained the planning agency authority to review sewer extension, and certain state required plumbing plans and recommendations of conformance with the sewer service area plan.
Designated management agency-DMA	Any agency designated in an AWQMP as having responsibility for implementing specific plan recommendations. DMAs are wastewater treatment or collection system owners, generally including cities, villages and sanitary districts, who manage local sewered development within the guidelines of the sewer service area plan. Examples: The City of Oshkosh owns the wastewater treatment plant and the collection system serving Oshkosh. The Town of Algoma Sanitary District No. 1 owns the wastewater collection system within the town. The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District owns the wastewater treatment plant serving several communities within Dane County. These are all DMAs.
Designated planning agency-DPA	A specific water quality planning agency that has been designated by the governor to develop the AWQMP, including a sewer service area plan, and respond to sewer service area plan amendment requests with analysis and recommendations to the department. DPAs also review sewer extension and certain plumbing plans and make recommendations for conformance with the approved sewer service area plan.The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the Dane County Regional Planning Commission are the only DPAs in the state.
Environmentally sensitive areas	Those areas that are unsuitable for sewered development because of the potential significant adverse impact upon water quality (see NR 121,05(1)(g)2.c.).
Local advisory committee	The group of representatives of the various local units of government in the planning area that assists the WDNR or its agents in the preparation of a sewer service area plan and acts in an advisory role in matters concerning the implementation of the plan. An advisory committee is not mandatory for AWQMP's for designated areas, but this committee is required for nondesignated areas (sometimes referred to as technical advisory committee).
Planning area boundary	The broad area initially considered for sewage collection system service before the sewer service area planning process defines the boundary of a 20-year sewered development plan. All environmentally sensitive areas within the planning area boundary are delineated.
Public participation process	The implementation of activities developed to involve individual members of the public, local government officials, and other stakeholders in the AWQMP process. This process normally includes both public meetings and public informational hearings.
Sewer service area	That area presently served or anticipated to be served by a sewage treatment system within the sewer service area plan's 20-year planning period. Technically, the sewer service area does not include environmentally sensitive areas, which are delineated separately and which do not account for 'acreage allocations' for sewered development.
WDNR	Generally refers to Watershed Management Bureau staff involved in the sewer service area plan review and decision making process.

For more information, contact:Lisa Helmuth .

Last Revised: Thursday July 13 2006