Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp blames the inability to quickly replace retiring DNR employees for some of the problems uncovered in a recent audit about water contamination.
Over the last decade, the DNR failed more than 90 percent of the time to go after companies and sewage treatment plants that exceeded water pollution limits, according to the state audit.
The DNR Board quizzed Stepp and other agency leaders about the finding during a meeting in Richland Center Wednesday.
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In some cases, retiring employees in the wastewater and enforcement unit had plenty of unused vacation to burn off and her department couldn’t fill the position, Stepp said.
“Those positions have to be empty, so to speak, while they’re filled on paper, before we’ve got the funding to be able to replace the actual body to do the work on the ground,” she said.
The DNR is now trying to better plan for retirements, Stepp said. An ongoing, but controversial, internal study may lead to employees being shifted to areas with the greatest need.
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