MADISON, Wis. (July 9, 2026) — The Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (Yahara WINS) has released its 2025 annual report, marking the program’s ninth full year of phosphorus reduction progress across the Yahara River watershed. Through the efforts of project partners and area farmers, the program prevented 68,303 pounds of phosphorus runoff in 2025 — exceeding its watershed-wide target for the year by more than 10,000 pounds.

Led by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, Yahara WINS brings together partners representing phosphorus sources in the watershed to reduce nutrient runoff through Adaptive Management, a collaborative compliance option. Successfully implementing this approach has earned the project national recognition, including being featured in U.S. EPA case studies and being named a Water-Quality Game Changer by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“Reaching this level of phosphorus reduction takes sustained commitment from our partners, including the farmers doing this work on the ground,” said Martye Griffin, Yahara WINS president and Ecosystem Services Department Manager at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. “Year after year, that collaboration is what keeps us ahead of our targets — and we’ll keep adapting our approach to build on our successes.”

2025 annual report highlights

  • Partners prevented 68,303 pounds of phosphorus runoff in 2025, exceeding the project’s annual target by more than 10,000 pounds.
  • Yahara WINS became the nation’s first utility-led watershed project to sell carbon offset credits by quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by working directly in the watershed instead of building additional treatment infrastructure. In partnership with Virridy, those avoided emissions translated into 24,143 verified carbon credits, issued by Regen Registry.
  • Yahara Pride Farms reported 30,203 acres under Adaptive Management practices, reflecting continued farmer participation in conservation efforts across the upper watershed.
  • Dane County Land & Water Resources cover crop acreage in Reach 69, an area in the lower watershed, grew nearly five times — from 676 acres in 2024 to 3,330 acres in 2025.
  • A new partnership with Agrograph began to analyze the extent of conservation practice adoption using aerial imagery to help target future efforts.

Yahara WINS provides funding to project partners to support cost-share and on-the-ground implementation of conservation practices. In 2025, the program had several implementing partners, including Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, Rock County Land Conservation Department, and Yahara Pride Farms.

The Yahara River watershed spans portions of Columbia, Dane, and Rock counties, drains into the Rock River and ultimately drains into the Mississippi River, which empties into the ocean. Excess phosphorus in this system threatens aquatic life, public health and recreational use, while also reducing local property values and contributing to downstream nutrient pollution. 

As watershed partners continue this work, residents, farmers and communities all have a role to play. Urban residents can protect local lakes and streams by managing leaf removal and keeping lawn debris out of storm drains, using phosphorus-free fertilizers, directing downspouts toward permeable surfaces, and considering rain barrels or rain gardens. Farmers can help by keeping fertilizer on the soil where it belongs — supporting soil health, improving crop yield and reducing runoff that can contribute to algae growth in area waters.

The 2025 Annual Report and additional information are available at yaharawins.org.

About: Yahara Watershed Improvement Network, known as Yahara WINS, works with municipalities, government agencies, environmental groups and landowners and farmers to reduce phosphorus runoff and improve water quality; some practices used to achieve this include cover crops, stream buffers, streambank stabilization and more. The approach costs less than conventional treatment while improving soil health, wildlife habitat and water quality throughout the 536-square-mile Yahara River watershed. The project began in 2017.