Janesville SSA Plan

Purpose

The City of Janesville [Planning Department] Point Source Water Quality Management Plan, or Sewer Sservice Area Plan, is the official citywide water quality management plan for the City of Janesville and its four surrounding townships Harmony, Janesville, Rock, and La Prairie. The purpose of the plan is to provide a policy framework and set of guidelines to enforce the federal, state, and local water quality programs in the City of Janesville and the surrounding townships. The sewer service area plan inventories land use and environmental conditions in the planning area, projects future land use, and develops a proposed boundary to guide the development of public sewer facilities. The proposed boundary identifies land in the planning area that is most suitable for urban development by providing cost effective public sewer facilities. Amendment runs through the Rock County Planning Agency.

Objective

The initial Janesville Area Point Source Water Quality Management Plan was developed in 1984 under the provisions of Section 208 of Public Law 92-500 (the Federal Water Pollution Control Acts Amendments of 1972) and the Federal Clean Water Act of 1977. The original plan was based on the most likely growth alternatives for the City of Janesville and the surrounding townships through the year 2005. The Janesville Area Point Source Water Quality Management Plan, or sewer service area plan, was approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 1984. The sewer service area plan inventoried land use and environmental conditions in the planning area, defined as the City of Janesville and the four surrounding townships-Janesville, Harmony, La Prairie, and Rock (see Figure 3). Based on the most likely growth alternative for the City of Janesville and the surrounding townships through the year 2005, an interim 20 year sewer service area boundary was developed. A copy of the sewer service area plan is available upon request from the Rock County Planning and Development Office.

Outcome

Rock County is located on the south central border of Wisconsin. Janesville is the county's largest city, occupying the central region of the county. The planning area includes the City of Janesville, and the surrounding townships of Harmony, Janesville, LaPrairie, and Rock. The planning area is located in the "Lower" Rock River Basin, which flows through the City of Janesville, the City of Beloit and then into Illinois, where it ultimately meets the Mississippi River at the Illinois-Iowa state border. The planning area is located in the Blackhawk Creek, Marsh Creek, Rock River/Milton, and Bass Creek (LR03) watersheds.

Since 1984, five map amendments to the water quality management plan have been prepared and approved by the DNR. These amendments are described below:

  • January 1987: In 1986, the City of Janesville approved the Growth Concept Plan as part of its Comprehensive Plan. Based on urban land area need projections and a selected growth alternative, this plan recommended 20 year urban service limits for Janesville. These limits differed somewhat from the interim sewer service area boundaries established in 1984. As such, a map amendment to the sewer service area plan was drafted to make the sewer service area boundaries consistent with the urban service limits established in the Growth Concept Plan.
  • March 1994: In 1994, Rock County's request for sewer service to the Rock County Airport prompted a second amendment to Janesville's sewer service area. The airport is located south of the city in the Town of Rock. The airport experienced septic system failures and groundwater in the area has high nitrate levels. A map amendment was prepared to add 251 acres of airport property to the sewer service area plus 740 acres of additional lands between the airport and the city limits.
  • February 1995: In late 1994, the Department of Transportation requested sanitary sewer service to the Interstate 90, Rest Area 17 north of Janesville. The sewer service area was amended to include a 39 acre "limited service area" surrounding this rest area. This amendment also added to the service area a developed industrial parcel north of the city along Newville Road.
  • January 1997: Development pressure on the north and west sides of Janesville prompted this amendment of 237 acres of land into the sewer service area. This amendment added residential areas between County Highway Y and State Highway 26 and residential areas south of State Highway 11 on the west side of the city.
  • August 2017: Plan update to amendment Chapter 6 into the Janesville Point Source Water Quality Management Plan to include specific criteria to evaluate onsite systems outside of the city limits and within the county boundary.



Related Reports

Run Project Summary Report
View Umbrella-Projects
View Related-Projects

Water Quality Planning
Sewer Service Area Plans
SSA Plan Janesville
1999
Active
 
Reports and Documents
Janesville SSA Plan Update for Onsite Criteria Additions (August 2017)
Janesville SSA Plan Update Materials 2017 August RC0007
Rock River Janesville WI - YMMV
RCPD WDNR Approval Letter and Amendment Submittal
RCPD Janesville SSA Plan Amendment (December 1999) Map Correction
Janesville SSA Plan (1999), Rock County (Pages 101-177)
Janesville SSA Plan (1999), Rock County (Pages 1-100)
RCPD Janesville SSA Plan Amendment (December 1999)
 
Activities & Recommendations
Sewer Service Area Planning
The City of Janesville water quality plan, or sewer service area plan, is the official citywide water quality management plan for the City of Janesville and its four surrounding townships Harmony, Janesville, Rock, and La Prairie
 
Watershed
 
Waters