DARLINGTON — Information recently released from a study, which almost didn’t include Lafayette County due to a funding dispute among board supervisors, indicated widespread contamination of groundwater in the area by coliform and nitrate bacteria as well as E. coli.
But Terry Loeffelholz, Land Conservation/Planning and Zoning Department manager for the county, said the preliminary results should not send anyone into a panic. Much of the study needs to be evaluated more and once more testing can be done in the spring, scientists can form a plan. It will take time, he noted.
“Hopefully a year from now, then maybe we’re looking at the next step to take,” Loeffelholz said.
Out of 301 wells tested among the three counties in the Groundwater Protection Study, including Lafayette, Iowa and Grant County, 42 percent, or roughly 126 wells, were deemed unsafe. Samples were collected from homeowners across the three counties on Nov. 9 and 10. The wells chosen were done so randomly to ensure the estimate of contamination was accurate.
University of Wisconsin-Extension Geologist Ken Bradbury was one of the scientists conducting the study. He said 62 total wells were tested in Lafayette County. Of those, 40 percent were positive for coliform, 27 percent had higher than 10 parts per million of nitrates and 3 percent tested positively for E. coli.
Coliform or E. coli at any level in drinking water is considered unsafe according to state well codes. It indicates the risk of unsanitary water, Bradbury said. While the average nitrate numbers in the wells tested were 10 ppm, Bradbury said in Lafayette County some wells reached 36 ppm.
Nitrates in drinking water usually come from human uses, like farming with fertilizer and manure, and can also be from septic systems. They are dangerous to infants, young children and pregnant women because they interfere with the body’s creation of oxygen. Some studies have linked intake of nitrates to other diseases, but it is uncertain whether they are a direct cause, Bradbury said.
The presence of coliform is “not necessarily harmful,” Bradbury said, but that class of bacteria lives at the ground surface. Discovering it in well water indicates “that things are getting into the well that shouldn’t be getting into the well.”
With the data collection over the next two years, scientists plan to create a database of information. From there, Bradbury said experts will likely focus on well construction and how the surrounding environment impacts the quality of water within the well.
Loeffelholz said he did not have any preconceived idea of how the results of the first tests would turn out so he wasn’t surprised by the levels reported. He did note that the plan could include a re-evaluation by the state.
“Geology across the state of Wisconsin varies a lot,” he said. “Maybe the (Department of Natural Resources) needs to look at the code.”
The study prompted action by 51st Assembly Rep. Todd Novak and 49th Assembly District Rep. Travis Tranel to request that House Speaker Robin Vos form a task force on water quality. In the announcement, both lawmakers wrote that understanding what kind of issues the areas are facing is important and that they realize studying the issue will need to be studied long-term in order to assess a baseline for levels of contamination.
In his first State of the State speech in the third week of January, Gov. Tony Evers declared 2019 the “Year of Clean Drinking Water” and plans to name someone within the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to replace lead pipes throughout the state. But that won’t necessarily impact private wells, though he has said he wants to address contamination, despite not yet offering a formal plan.
Bradbury said examination of the database compiled over the two-year groundwater study will likely lead to examination of well construction. He added that he was glad to see a number of people interested in the results as well as pushing for the study to be conducted despite funding concerns.
“I always tell people that if you don’t have clean water, especially at your home, it changes everything,” Bradbury said. “It impacts everything.”