Become a Partner
Yahara WINS is a watershed-wide partnership — and its results depend on the participation of municipalities, utilities, agricultural producers, and other contributors across the Yahara watershed. If you’re a local government, landowner, farmer, or organization with a presence in the watershed, here’s what you need to know about joining.
Why Yahara WINS exists
Wisconsin’s phosphorus water quality standards require sources of phosphorus — wastewater treatment plants, municipalities, agricultural operations, and others — to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering local waterways. Meeting those requirements individually is expensive. Meeting them together is not.
Yahara WINS brings municipalities, utilities, and agriculture together under one proven framework — cutting phosphorus runoff by funding practices that work for those managing the land. Recognized by the US Water Alliance as a national model for watershed collaboration and the first in the nation to generate verified carbon credits through watershed-based compliance, Yahara WINS is setting the standard for how communities protect their waterways
For context: the alternative for Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District alone would have required up to $240 million in filtration technology. Adaptive management — the foundation of Yahara WINS — makes it possible to achieve better water quality outcomes for less.
Who can become a partner
Yahara WINS partners include cities, villages, and towns within the Yahara watershed; county agencies including land conservation departments; wastewater treatment plants and utilities; agricultural producers and landowners; and environmental organizations and other stakeholders.
Not sure if your property or jurisdiction is in the watershed? Use the interactive map on our Where in the Watershed to find out.
For municipalities and local governments
Municipal partners participate through an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) that establishes shared financial contributions toward watershed-wide phosphorus reduction.
IGA partners receive:
- A voice in program governance through quarterly WINS meetings
- Access to program data, annual reports, and monitoring results
- Credit toward regulatory phosphorus reduction requirements
- The ability to meet compliance goals through collective action rather than costly individual infrastructure
For agricultural producers and landowners
Farmers and landowners participate by implementing phosphorus-reducing practices on their land and submitting those projects for Yahara WINS credit. Qualifying practices range from proven approaches — cover crops, grassed waterways, reduced tillage — to more innovative methods being piloted as the program evolves. Project participants may receive funding support for qualifying practices, subject to available program resources.
Have a project idea to reduce runoff from agricultural land or urban stormwater? We want to hear it. Contact Yahara WINS.
What to expect
Yahara WINS is a long-term program with an adaptive management permit running through 2041.
Since moving to full-scale implementation in 2017, partners have consistently met or exceeded annual phosphorus reduction goals.
The program operates on a quarterly meeting schedule. Agendas, presentations, and materials are posted publicly on the Meetings page. Annual reports document progress and are available to all.
Ready to learn more?
Contact Watershed Programs Coordinator Mike Gilbertson to ask questions, learn about current participation opportunities, or start a conversation about joining Yahara WINS. Mike Gilbertson Watershed Programs Coordinator Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District 608-949-4463