RR Sites Map layer information

Descriptions for layers on RR Sites Map are listed below. To find more information about any RR activity, click or tap on the activity point on the map or use the Identify tool. Information about the activity will be displayed in the left-side panel. Select View Activity Details on BOTW to view additional information and available documents.

Source information for DNR layers is available from the map directory.
 

Open and Closed Activities

The Open and Closed Activities layer group includes locations where cleanup of environmental contamination is ongoing or completed.

Open Activity  

Includes activities where contamination has affected soil, groundwater or other media and the environmental investigation and cleanup process is ongoing. An activity may be smaller than a single property or may include multiple properties.  

This layer does not include:

• spills (immediate cleanup);
• activities where the DNR required no action;
• activities that are not yet mapped;
• hazardous substance discharges never reported to the DNR;
• voluntary party liability exemption (VPLE) activities; or
• locations affected by contamination from another property.

Closed activities

Includes Environmental Repair Program (ERP) and Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) activities where contamination affected soil, groundwater or other media, and the DNR determined that the activity met the requirements for case closure. An activity may be smaller than a single property or may include multiple properties.

This layer does not include:

• spills (immediate cleanup);
• activities where the DNR required no action;
• activities that are not yet mapped;
• hazardous substance discharges never reported to the DNR;
• voluntary party liability exemption (VPLE) activities; or
• locations affected by contamination from another property.

Source: Wisconsin DNR, Remediation and Redevelopment Program

Additional Activity Information

Continuing Obligations Apply

Continuing obligations are certain actions for which property owners or responsible parties are legally responsible at a property to protect human health or the environment.    

Continuing obligation information is publicly available on the DNR's Wisconsin Remediation and Redevelopment Database (WRRD). Common examples of continuing obligations include proper management of contaminated soil (if excavated) and obtaining DNR approval prior to construction of a water supply well. Other property-specific obligations may apply.

To get information about continuing obligations for an activity, click or tap on the activity point or use the Identify tool on RR Sites Map. Information about the activity will be displayed in the left-side panel. Select View Activity Details on BOTW to view additional information and available documents. Once BRRTS on the Web has loaded, click on the link for the file associated with the action Continuing Obligations Applied.

Affected Another Property or Right-of-Way

Includes activities where contamination from one property crossed a property line and affected another property, and that impact was reported to the DNR.

Sediment Impacts

Activities where contamination has affected sediment.

Sediment Impacts Boundary

Boundary of a sediment study area or project area. The boundary does not represent the extent of contaminated sediment, nor is it a determination or representation of the ordinary high water mark (OHWM).

Other BRRTS Activities

No Action Required (NAR)

NARs are activities where, after notification of a hazardous substance discharge, the DNR determined that the responsible party did not need to undertake an investigation or cleanup because there was no or insignificant contamination. Some historical NAR activities are not mapped due to lack of sufficient information to create an accurate point location.

Materials Management

An activity for a location that received contaminated soil from another location that was approved under ch. NR 718, Wis. Adm. Code.

Facility-wide

This is an umbrella activity with a negotiated agreement that also includes sub-activities. Other activities at the same location may not be part of the facility-wide activity because they are not included in the negotiated agreement. This layer does not include negotiated agreements that are not yet finalized.

Facility-wide Boundary

A polygon representing the boundary of the area in the negotiated agreement for a facility-wide activity.

Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE)

A voluntary party entered the VPLE process, which involves completing an environmental investigation of an entire property, conducting cleanup, achieving case closure, and in return, receiving a certificate of completion.

VPLE Property Boundary

A polygon representing the boundary of the property included in the VPLE process.

Liability clarification

The DNR provided a property-specific letter in response to a person's request for liability clarification as it relates to environmental contamination and remediation at a property. The DNR may provide letters that clarify liability to property owners, neighbors, potential purchasers, tenants, local governments, lenders and responsible parties.

Superfund NPL

The U.S. EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) consists of contaminated sites where potentially responsible parties or government funds are used for the cleanup. This layer includes sites proposed for and deleted from the NPL, as well as Superfund alternative sites, which are eligible for the NPL but are regulated by another entity under an agreement using NPL-equivalent standards.

Financial Actions

The financial actions layers group includes activities where the DNR provided assistance via grants, loans or reimbursements, or hired an environmental consultant to perform work at a site. This theme does not include sites cleaned up using Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Awards (PECFA).

Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Fund (DERF)

The DNR reimbursed applicants for eligible assessment and cleanup work at dry cleaning facilities. Reimbursement is from DERF, which was established from dry cleaner licenses and solvent fees for the cleanup discharges to the environment from dry cleaning operations.

Green Space Grant

The DNR awarded a grant to a local government for environmental cleanup of properties that would be used for green space, public recreation or local government operations. Grants were awarded from April 2004 to March 2009. A total of 21 grants were awarded at 16 sites.

Green Space Grant Site Boundary

A polygon representing the boundary of the property included in the Green Space Grant.

Ready for Reuse

The DNR awarded a loan or grant for environmental cleanup of a brownfield property from the Ready for Reuse Loan and Grant Program, which is funded through a brownfield grant from the U.S. EPA.

Site Assessment Grants (SAG)

The DNR awarded a Site Assessment Grant to a local government for the assessment of contamination, demolition, tank removal or other actions. Grants were awarded from September 2000 to November 2009.

Sustainable Urban Development Zone (SUDZ)

The DNR awarded funding designated by the Wisconsin Legislature to seven municipalities to investigate and clean up area-wide contamination.

Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM)

The DNR awarded a grant or contractor services for assessment of a brownfield property under the WAM program, which is funded through a brownfield grant from the U.S. EPA.

Waste & Materials Management Layers

Landfill/Waste Site Point

Locations of landfills and historical waste sites

• Landfill/Waste Point: Point representation of landfills and historical waste sites.
• Landfill/Waste Area: Polygon representation of landfills and historical waste sites.

Landfill/Waste Site Point

A polygon representing the area of a landfill or historical waste site.

Municipal Solid Waste (EPA Subtitle D)

Active landfills for municipal solid waste.

Industrial Landfills

Active industrial landfills.

Construction and Demolition Debris

Active landfills for construction and demolition debris.

County Tax Parcels

County tax parcels as aggregated from all known digital parcel datasets for the Version 9 Statewide Parcel Map Database Project (V9).

Municipal Boundaries

Municipal boundaries in Wisconsin.

Township, Range, Section

Polygon dataset representing the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). The data are a subset of the DNR's Landnet database, automated from 1:24,000-scale sources and includes layers for PLSS townships, sections and quarter sections.

Drinking Water and Groundwater

High Capacity Withdrawal Locations

High capacity wells and surface water withdrawal locations, generalized to the PLSS section level.

Well Inventory

Locations of wells, generalized as the PLSS section centroid.

Niagara Dolomite/Maquoketa Shale Dual Aquifer Area

The best available data that represent boundaries of where the Niagara Dolomite overlies the Maquoketa Shale formation in the eastern part of Wisconsin. The limits of this boundary are approximated based on available information derived from several data sources, including maps contained in DNR files and hydrogeological information compiled and interpreted by DNR staff. Well drillers constructing a well in this location must abide by certain requirements per ch. NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.

1,200-ft Landfill Buffer

A 1,200-foot buffer around current landfill GIS data (points and polygon boundaries). The GIS data approximate the limits of waste based on available information derived from several data sources, including maps contained in DNR files and aerial photograph interpretation by DNR staff. Landfill GIS locations should not be solely relied upon to make compliance decisions. Some of the landfills shown in GIS may be depicted by a point only, because GIS boundaries have not yet been determined. For an accurate depiction of the landfill boundary, please see information contained in the DNR's landfill file located at one of the DNR regional headquarters across the state.

Special Casing Area

Locations with special drilling requirements per ch. NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code, due to water quality issues.

DNR Managed Land by Property Boundary

Boundary polygons of Wisconsin DNR managed lands including layers for DNR-owned and -leased property and DNR easement property.

Non-DNR Data

WI/DATCP - Environmental Enforcement Contacts

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Environmental Enforcement staff have broad knowledge related to storage, use and handling of agricultural products (feed, seed, pesticides and fertilizer) and may assist with cleanup or disposal related to any of these products.

US/USDA - NRCS Soil Data

The DNR Wetlands Program worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to produce the following layers.

• US/USDA/NRCS - Wisconsin Soils
• US/USDA/NRCS - Soil Hydric Ratings
• US/USDA/NRCS - Soil Drainage Classes

US/DOC/CB - 2020 Census Blocks

2020 Census Blocks.

US/DOC/CB - 2020 Census Tracts

2020 Census Tracts. These are the geographic units used for the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index calculations.

Social/Cultural/Economic Information

US/EPA - Qualified Opportunity Zones

Qualified Opportunity Zones designated by the U.S. EPA.

US/CDC - Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) 2020

U.S. CDC SVI 2020 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) identifying areas most likely to need support in the event of a hazardous event, calculated at the U.S. Census Tract level. Layers include:

• Overall SVI - Tracts
• Overall SVI - Counties
• Additional SVI Themes

Base Maps

Cities and Roads

Simple feature representation of land boundaries and roads intended as a base over which operational layers are drawn.

Cities, Roads and Waterways

Simple feature representation of land boundaries, roads and waterways intended as a base over which operational layers are drawn.

Topography

US Geological Survey Digital Raster Graphics (DRG) from the USGS 1:250,000-, 1:100,000, and 24,000-scale topographic map series, and simulated at 1:500,000 scale. Starting in July of 2022, DNR staff have edited some DRG images to remove feature names that have been recently renamed due to having been deemed offensive or inappropriate. Similar edits will be periodically made when such name changes occur. The DNR recognizes the U.S. Geological Survey for making source data available.

Hillshade/Terrain

Base layers representing topography and elevation through topographic contours, a digital elevation model, hillshade, and relative slope derived from LiDAR data.

LiDAR Contours

Topographic contours derived from LiDAR data in different intervals, including:

• Contours from LiDAR (2 ft)
• Contours from LiDAR (5 ft)
• Contours from LiDAR (10 ft)

Hillshade

Simulated grayscale shading of the land surface based on the digital elevation model (above) and the sun's relative position to show topographic features more clearly. This base layer can be combined with other base maps (roads, topographic maps, aerial imagery) to provide a 3D-like appearance. Data sources vary by county. They range in date from 2005-present, and in the size of their pixels (one to 10 feet).

Elevation from LiDAR DEM (feet)

When clicked, gives the elevation (in feet) for that location in the digital elevation model (above). Data sources vary by county. They range in date from 2005-present, and in the size of their pixels (one to 10 feet).

Slope from LiDAR

Slope of the digital elevation model (above), expressed as a percentage. Data sources vary by county. They range in date from 2005-present, and in the size of their pixels (one to 10 feet).

Air Photos

Simple feature representation of land boundaries and roads intended as a base over which operational layers are drawn. Available layers include:

• 2022 Air Photos (Leaf-On)
• 2018-2021 Air Photos (Leaf-Off)
• 2020 Air Photos (Leaf-On)
• 2015 Air Photos (Leaf-On)
• 2013 Air Photos (Leaf-On)
• 2010 Air Photos (Leaf-Off)
• 2008 Air Photos (Leaf-On)
• 1990s Air Photos (Leaf-Off)
• Color Infrared (CIR) Imagery (2009-2019)