M.K DeSantis, Pegasus Technical Services for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Drinking water quality varies across in Wisconsin. In communities with public utilities, drinking water is subject to disparate levels of treatment depending on local needs and budget concerns. Nearly one million households get their water from private wells, which depend on property owners for monitoring and treatment. Across the state, many natural processes and human activities can introduce pathogens and chemical contaminants into water supplies. Wherever their drinking water comes from, Wisconsinites can use various resources to better understand and improve its quality.
 
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PFAS "forever chemicals" have become a fixture of public attention and policymakers are taking steps to address their use. UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering professor Christy Remucal discusses what is known about PFAS and the risks associated with them.
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is directing a Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam to expand its investigation of drinking water that might be contaminated by so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS.
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Researchers with UW-Madison and others analyzed groundwater data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 2000 to 2018. They found radium levels were trending upward in wells drawing from a regional aquifer underlying the southern two-thirds of the state.
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Human waste continues to be a prominent source of contamination in private wells located in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties, with the Southwestern Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology study finding microbes in human feces in 12 of 34 wells sampled in November 2019.
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A Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam will provide bottled water for homeowners after their private wells were found to have elevated levels of so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS.
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A manufacturer of firefighting foam says the majority of more than 250 drinking water wells it's tested in Marinette County turned up no trace of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. But state regulators say it's too early to tell the scope of PFAS contamination within drinking water in the area.
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A Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam says it won't test 500 private wells for PFAS contamination beyond its fire training facility after state regulators said the company failed to complete work as part of an ongoing investigation.
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Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Wisconsin is leading a coalition of 22 states in supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's preliminary decision to regulate so-called "forever chemicals" known as PFAS in drinking water.
Kenneth Bradbury
Leaky sewer pipes might be the source of viruses found in drinking water that Wisconsin municipalities draw from bedrock aquifers 800 feet below ground..
Sharon Long
Waterborne pathogens can cycle between the environment and their human and animal hosts, causing illness in people and spreading disease between households. To determine how fecal matter contaminates groundwater, scientists use indicators that specify the source, identifying it as human or animal waste.