private wells Archives

November 7, 2023

PFAS chemicals found in 71% of tested Wisconsin wells

By Shannon Kelleher

The majority of private wells providing water for 450 Wisconsin homes tested positive for harmful chemicals, though mostly at low levels, according to a new study.

The analysis, published November 2, tested the wells for 44 types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Researchers found that 71% of the wells were contaminated with 4% of the private wells containing PFAS levels that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed maximum contaminant levels. Roughly 1% had PFAS levels above the state’s recommended groundwater standards. The researchers said their work is the first to sample shallow groundwater away from known PFAS contamination sites in the state. Examining well water is important because about one quarter of Wisconsin residents get their drinking water from over 800,000 private wells.

“A big takeaway is we found PFAS in the majority of wells, but at very small levels in most of those locations,” said Steven Elmore, program director of the Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). To find it at detectable levels in shallow groundwater is not surprising, he said, noting that PFAS has been found in rainwater across the country and in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, which flank the state.

The study was a collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

There are over 12,000 types of PFAS, many of which cannot be detected in water using currently available tests. These so-called “forever chemicals” do not break down naturally and can leach into drinking water from industrial sites, sewage treatment plants, landfills, or certain firefighting foams. A 2022 analysis found detectable PFAS levels in about 83% of US waterways. A recent study found that exposure to some PFAS may increase thyroid cancer risk, while past research has linked the chemicals to health problems including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and ulcerative colitis.

The companies 3M, DuPont, and others agreed to settlements over the summer that will provide communities with billions of dollars to test for PFAS and remove them from drinking water. Last month, three residents of New Milford, Connecticut filed a lawsuit alleging that the Aquarion Water Company provided water to the public that it knew was contaminated with elevated PFAS levels.

April 28, 2023

Groups seek emergency action from EPA on nitrate pollution in Minnesota

A coalition of environmental groups is petitioning federal regulators to take emergency action to protect residents of southeastern Minnesota from “imminent and substantial endangerment’ to their health from the contamination of drinking water sources by a pollutant linked to cancers and other health problems.

Nitrate contamination in the region ” is a widespread issue that has stubbornly persisted through decades as state officials continuously fail to effectively address the problem,” the petition states.

The effort echoes pleas from public and environmental health advocates around the country over the harmful impacts of nitrate contamination, which mainly originates in agricultural runoff. Nitrate contamination of drinking water has been linked to “blue baby syndrome,” or methemoglobinemia (a sometimes-fatal condition affecting infants), as well as certain cancers, and thyroid disease, even in studies where contamination was below legal limits.

High levels of nitrate in water can be a result of runoff or leakage from fertilized farm fields, landfills, animal manure, and other sources.

The petition calls on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure safe drinking water for Minnesota residents, calling nitrate pollution a “too-long ignored health crisis.” Among other steps, the groups want the EPA to block the development of new large animal feeding operations, which are considered significant contributors to nitrate pollution because of the large amounts of animal manure generated.

“We need help,” said Jeff Broberg, director of the Minnesota Well Owners Organization whose own well water is contaminated with nitrates. “Our drinking water quality keeps getting worse.”