MONROE — For a limited time, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has funding available for eligible Wisconsinites to help improve the quality of their drinking water by replacing, reconstructing, treating or abandoning their private well or water system, up to $16,000. Private well owners in Green County are encouraged to get their well water tested to potentially participate in this important program.
Unlike individuals who live in villages or cities in Green County and drink municipal water that is tested by the municipality, private well owners are responsible for testing their own water. Testing well water allows the well owner to know what contaminants may be in the water.
Local professionals are available to help navigate options to address possible contamination. Well water can become contaminated by several different toxins including bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, and others. These contaminants can lead to a lot of different health problems; bacteria can cause infections and gastrointestinal problems, heavy metals can lead to liver, kidney, and intestinal damage, and nitrate can cause “blue baby syndrome” — a condition most common in infants where the blood is not able to carry oxygen to rest of the body like it is supposed to.
The DNR’s American Rescue Plan Act Well Compensation and Well Abandonment Grants program is currently accepting applications from Wisconsinites. This program provides funding for private well owners to replace, treat or abandon their well due to contamination. Those eligible for this program should meet the following criteria:
● Own a private well or noncommunity water system
● Annual family or business income is $100,000 or less
● Well or water system is contaminated with nitrate, arsenic, fecal bacteria or PFAS
● Have not begun work on well or water system yet
Green County Public Health (GCPH) encourages well owners to apply as soon as possible; the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources expects that all funding will be awarded by Spring 2024. Once funding is exhausted, the DNR will maintain a waiting list of approved applications and issue additional grant awards if additional funding becomes available.
To learn more about this program, or to complete an application visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/aid/WellCompensation.html or dnr.wisconsin.gov/aid/WellAbandonment.html.
Well owners can also call 608-577-3583 or email DNRARPAWellGrants@
wisconsin.gov to learn more.
To qualify for the grant, two consecutive tests taken at least two weeks apart are needed to confirm the water contamination (bacteria testing may be less than two weeks apart).To test the well water, GCPH has well water test kits available at the department, located in the Green County Government Services Building, N3152 Wis. 81, in Monroe. The test kits are free, and owners can collect the water sample by themselves at their home.
Owners will need to mail their sample to UW-Stevens Point to be tested at their lab which includes a fee, the cost is dependent on which testing package is chosen.
For instructions on how to collect a water sample, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qnffw2f95k.
Those with questions about the Well Compensation and Well Abandonment Grants program or getting well water tested cab contact GCPH by calling 608-328-9390 or email at info@greencountywi.org. Visit their website at gcpublichealth.org or Facebook page @GreenCountyPH to learn more about other public health programs and services.