a human right
Clean Water
Access to clean water is a right we all share. At MEA, we use our expertise in water law to defend public rights to Wisconsin’s waters, to advocate for water policies that safeguard public health, and to ensure that government is held accountable for protecting our water resources.
Our Current clean water work
POLICY & ADVOCACY 
Developing Water Quality Standards for PFAS
MEA successfully advocated for statewide water quality standards for PFAS in surface water and municipal drinking water. We continue to advocate for much-need PFAS groundwater standards that will help protect rural Wisconsinites who rely on groundwater from private wells.
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LEGAL ACTION
Ending Legislative Interference in Environmental Decision Making
MEA represented two environmental organizations as friends of the court in this lawsuit challenging the power of legislative committees to veto conservation grants and obstruct the updating of environmental health standards. We argued that committee vetoes violated the state constitution and caused real-world harm to Wisconsin communities.
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POLICY & ADVOCACY
Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning in Milwaukee
Decades of disinvestment have led to disproportionately high rates of lead exposure among communities of color and lower-income families in Milwaukee’s north side. As a member of the Coalition on Lead Emergency, MEA is advocating for policies and new sources of funding to address this environmental injustice.
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LEGAL VICTORY!
Preserving Environmental Oversight of Large Livestock Facilities
In January 2024, a Calumet County Circuit Court rejected a reckless attempt by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and factory farm groups to eliminate environmental oversight of the state’s largest livestock facilities. The court’s decision affirms the DNR’s ability to protect water resources from agricultural pollution.
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LEGAL ACTION
Gordondale Farms Permit Challenge (Portage County)
Portage County residents represented by MEA challenged a wastewater discharge permit issued to Gordondale Farms because the permit did not do enough to protect local drinking water. Our legal challenge led to a permit modification that required Gordondale to install groundwater monitoring wells near fields where the farm spreads large amounts of manure.
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LEGAL ACTION
Protecting Wild Rice & Defending Tribal Treaty Rights
MEA represented the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin in a lawsuit against the Department of Natural Resources over the use of an herbicide that threatened wild rice beds within the Menominee Reservation. A 2026 settlement provides new protections for wild rice while giving the Tribe a greater voice in decisions affecting a resource that is central to Menominee culture, history and self-determination.
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LEGAL ACTION
Ridge Breeze Permit Challenge (Pierce County)
MEA won a major victory on behalf of Pierce County residents concerned that a DNR permit allowing a major expansion at Ridge Breeze Farms failed to protect local groundwater. Ridge Breeze has since appealed the decision, and MEA remains committed to standing with our clients to defend their hard-fought victory.
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Past clean water work
LEGAL ACTION
Opposing a Lake Superior Water Bottling Proposal
When a private company applied for a permit to bottle and sell water from an artesian well located within the Lake Superior watershed, the proposal faced strong opposition from local residents. With legal representation from MEA, grassroots group Lake Superior Not for Sale took legal action to prevent the exploitation of Great Lakes water.
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LEGAL ACTION
Saving Rare Wetlands
When Meteor Timber obtained a permit from the Wisconsin DNR to destroy pristine, forested wetlands in order to build an industrial sand facility, MEA challenged the permit on behalf of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Our legal action resulted in the invalidation of the permit after testimony revealed the permit had been granted by DNR managers over the objections of scientific experts within the agency.
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LEGAL ACTION
Defending the Authority of Local Governments to Regulate Large Livestock Operations
A growing number of local governments in Wisconsin have enacted ordinances that regulate how large livestock operations (CAFOs) operate. MEA partners with community members and local jurisdictions to provide legal support and to defend the authority of local governments from industry pushback.
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LEGAL ACTION
Upholding the Public Trust Doctrine in Sturgeon Bay
A proposed hotel development would have put Public Trust land in private hands and limited public access to Lake Michigan’s shoreline. With legal representation from MEA, the Friends of the Sturgeon Bay Public Waterfront successfully challenged the proposal.
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LEGAL ACTION
Defending the State’s Ability to Regulate High-Capacity Wells
MEA represented the Central Sands Water Action Coalition as a friend of the court in a case involving the DNR’s authority to consider the cumulative impact of high-capacity wells when it issues water-withdrawal permits. After years of litigation, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a decision in July 2021 affirming that authority.
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latest news
Clean water Updates
MEA clients in Pierce County vow to defend clean water victory after Ridge Breeze Dairy appeals ruling
Pierce County residents took legal action over a permit that failed to protect local groundwater. An administrative law judge sided with them, finding the permit gave the DNR no meaningful way to determine whether the dairy was complying with state groundwater quality standards. The farm has asked a circuit court to overturn the decision, but our clients are determined to defend their hard-fought victory.
LEGAL VICTORY! State regulators must strengthen environmental oversight of Pierce County livestock operation
MEA clients in Pierce County have won a major victory in a three-year fight to protect their community from the impacts of a major expansion at Ridge Breeze Dairy. On August 24, an administrative law judge ruled that a DNR permit allowing the farm to expand its herd to more than 6,000 cows failed to ensure compliance with Wisconsin’s groundwater quality standards.
MEA and partners file new legal action over stream crossing approvals for Line 5 reroute
This week, the Bad River Band, Midwest Environmental Advocates and other partner organizations filed a new lawsuit in our ongoing fight to prevent the construction of the Line 5 reroute. We filed the lawsuit after the DNR unlawfully issued permit approvals allowing Enbridge to do work at four stream crossings in Ashland County.
DNR reversed course on a massive data center after pushback from developers. MEA is fighting for answers.
A new lawsuit filed by MEA on behalf of the Sierra Club shows the extent to which tech companies and data center developers may be influencing decisions that impact Wisconsin’s environment.
MEA and Partners Receive Community Change-Maker Award for PFAS Work
MEA is honored to be recognized by Community Shares of Wisconsin as a recipient of the 2026 Community Change-Maker Award for our work to address PFAS contamination. We share the award with our partners at River Alliance of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Conservation Voices. We invite you to celebrate with us on September 17!
Upcoming Webinar: The Public Trust Doctrine in Action
The public trust doctrine is a powerful tool for protecting Wisconsin’s waters for the benefit of current and future generations. In this webinar, we will explore how the public trust doctrine, which has its roots in ancient Roman law, continues to shape some of the most important environmental fights in Wisconsin today.
