Dotted termshave plain-English definitions. Hover, or tap on a phone.
Property water profile
Copy to data/<county>-<parcel-id>.md and fill in. Use [TBD] for unknowns and [N/A] where it doesn’t apply. The unknowns are the point of the form.
Identification
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Address / location | |
| Parcel ID | |
| County / township | |
| Acreage | |
| Asking price | |
| Price per acre | |
| Listing link | |
| Date screened | |
| Screened by | |
| Status | screening / offer / under contract / dead / closed |
Intended use
What I actually want to do with this land, in 2 sentences:
Estimated household water demand (gpd): Any planned irrigation, livestock, pond, or other large use:
Surface water
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water body name | ||
| Type (lake / river / stream / wetland / none) | ||
| Navigable under WI law? | DNR | |
| Frontage (linear feet, deed) | ||
| Frontage (usable, above OHWM) | Survey | |
| OHWM located? | yes / no / [TBD] | |
| Distance from OHWM to buildable area | ||
| 303(d) impaired? For what? | DNR | |
| Existing pier, and Ch. 30 status | ||
| Shoreline alterations and permit status | ||
| Lake association / district, annual dues | ||
| Inside Great Lakes basin? |
Groundwater and the well
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aquifer / formation | WGNHS | |
| Well depth (ft) | Construction report | |
| Casing depth and material | ||
| Grouted? | ||
| Year drilled | ||
| Driller | ||
| Meets current NR 812 standards? | ||
| Static water level (today) | ||
| Static water level (at install) | ||
| Sustained yield (gpm, tested) | Pump test | |
| Drawdown during test | ||
| Recovery rate | ||
| Pump age / type / depth | ||
| Other or abandoned wells on parcel | ||
| Distance wellhead to septic | ||
| Area 20 yr water level trend | USGS / WGNHS |
Water quality
| Analyte | Result | Standard | Pass? | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | absent | |||
| E. coli | absent | |||
| Nitrate as N | 10 mg/L | |||
| Arsenic | 10 ppb | |||
| Lead | 15 ppb AL | |||
| Manganese | ||||
| Iron | ||||
| Radium (combined) | 5 pCi/L | |||
| Gross alpha | 15 pCi/L | |||
| Fluoride | 4 mg/L | |||
| Chloride | ||||
| Hardness | ||||
| pH | ||||
| PFAS (sum / individual) | see NR 809 | |||
| Atrazine + metabolites | ||||
| VOCs |
Lab used: Treatment needed, and estimated cost:
Neighbors and watershed
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| High cap wells within 2 mi (count) | |
| Largest nearby permitted volume (gpd) | |
| Pending high cap applications | |
| CAFOs within 5 mi | |
| Manure spreading fields upgradient | |
| BRRTS sites within 1 mi | |
| Landfills / quarries / mines nearby | |
| WPDES dischargers in watershed | |
| Upgradient land use | |
| Proposed development in township | |
| Recent land assemblage activity |
Land, zoning, and title
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Zoning district | |
| Overlays (shoreland, floodplain, etc.) | |
| Shoreland setback required | |
| Vegetative buffer required | |
| Impervious surface limit | |
| Conforming lot of record? | |
| Intended use: permitted / conditional / prohibited | |
| Written confirmation from zoning? | |
| FEMA flood zone / panel | |
| Mapped wetlands (acres) | |
| Soil types and septic suitability | |
| Existing septic, age, last inspection | |
| Easements (list all) | |
| Riparian access conveyed to others? | |
| Mineral rights severed? | |
| Shared well agreement? | |
| Conservation / ag easement? | |
| Legal recorded access? | |
| Comprehensive plan future land use |
Assessment
Red flags found (cite tier from docs/04-due-diligence/02-red-flags.md):
| Flag | Tier | Resolved? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
The 6 deciding questions:
- OHWMordinary high water markThe physical line on a shoreline showing where water regularly reaches. On a Wisconsin lake your private property stops there and the state owns the bed below it. The DNR decides where the line is, not your deed. and buildable envelope:
- Well yield and aquiferaquiferUnderground rock or sand with water in the spaces between the grains. It is not an underground lake. Water seeps through it slowly, often only feet per year. trend:
- Water quality:
- Nearby pumping:
- Upgradient land use, now and in 10 years:
- Zoning confirmation in writing:
Diligence spend to date: $
Open items blocking a decision:
Verdict: pursue / pass / pursue at a lower price of $______
Reasoning (3 sentences):
Log
| Date | Action | Cost | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
Research demo, not legal advice. Facts current as of July 2026. Water law is state-specific and moves quickly, so confirm anything you plan to act on with a licensed attorney and the relevant state agency.