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Madison — Municipalities will gain more time and flexibility to carry out costly rules designed to cut the algae-causing pollution from phosphorus, under legislation signed by GOP Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday.

In all, Walker signed 55 measures Wednesday, including legislation to ensure those seeking to commit a mentally ill person can make their case before a judge; to prohibit state law enforcement from using warrantless cellphone tracking; and to keep handicapped spaces reserved for those who need them.

The phosphorus measure was supported by more than 100 municipal treatment plants operators and several business groups that said without a safety valve, the previous regulations could cost billions of dollars to meet. Environmentalists countered with concerns that the measure might slow the recovery of streams, rivers and lakes now plagued by algae.

"My goal in introducing this legislation was to clean up our valuable waterways by greatly reducing their phosphorus content while still being mindful of wastewater ratepayers and Wisconsin manufacturers' need to remain competitive in a global marketplace," Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez) said in a statement.

The legislation gives a municipal permit-holder the option to delay stricter limits on phosphorus if it can show financial hardship. That delay or variance could last as long as 20 years, but during that time, the permit-holders would have to gradually reduce their discharges.

It also requires those getting a variance to pay into a fund based on their phosphorous output that would go to counties to pay for programs aimed at cutting such pollution.

According to the state Department of Natural Resources, about 900 waterways in the state fail to meet water quality standards. A major reason for that is phosphorus coming from sources such as fertilizer, detergent and manure.

Unsightly algae blooms deplete oxygen and harm aquatic life. Some forms of the algae can also be toxic. On Lake Michigan, algae blooms fueled by phosphorus play a role in the foul-smelling beaches during the summer.

Phosphorus is considered a culprit in the discovery last year of a dead zone bereft of oxygen in Green Bay.

Wisconsin approved phosphorus regulations in late 2010 in the final days of the administration of then-Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. The regulations were later approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which has been pushing states to impose stricter limits known as numeric standards

Wisconsin became the first state in the Midwest to set numerical standards on the allowable amount of phosphorus in public waters.

The EPA could scrutinize the measure signed by Walker.

Walker also signed legislation to:

■ Allow the person requesting the commitment of a mentally ill person to appeal a rejection of the request to a judge. Previously, county lawyers were not required to file a petition to have a person committed if they didn't believe it met the legal standard.

The problem was highlighted in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story last August about Rob Sweeney, a Milwaukee man with serious mental illness.

The doctor at Rogers Memorial Hospital in West Allis, where Sweeney was being treated, filed a petition saying he felt Sweeney was a danger to himself and others. But the doctor failed to include specific details about Sweeney chasing his sister with a knife and two emergency hospitalizations in the previous months. Lawyers for the county refused to file the petition unless the doctor agreed to rewrite his request.

The doctor refused, saying he feared he might be sued by Sweeney or advocate groups if a second petition failed.

So, Sweeney was discharged from the hospital. He volunteered to be readmitted later that same day and ultimately was committed on a petition filed by his mother, sister and caseworker.

■ Create a legal framework for state and local police seeking to pin down a suspect electronically, putting in place uniform rules that would still allow officers to act quickly in an emergency.

The measure, backed by some of the Legislature's most conservative and liberal members, requires warrants before police use citizens' cellphones to track their movements while also providing certain exceptions for times when citizens may be in danger.

■ Set a minimum age of 18 for people presiding over marriage ceremonies to prevent children from using Internet ordinations to marry adults.

In Wisconsin, the bride and groom must be least 18, or have parental permission if they're 16 or 17. But until now the state had no requirements for officiants.

■ Raise the fine for illegally parking in a handicapped space from $50 to $150.

Another bill signed by Walker will require parking lots that have four or more spots designated for the disabled to include at least one spot that can accommodate vehicles with lift gates. Existing parking lots will not have to be changed until they are reconstructed or resurfaced.

Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.