From Scott Laeser

Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director

To the Editor:

We have definitive evidence that southwestern Wisconsin families face significant drinking water contamination, and we also have a roadmap to address these contamination issues thanks to the important work done by the SWIGG study researchers. It’s clear we have to tackle several aspects of water resource management to deliver on Wisconsin’s clean drinking water promise. How we construct our wells, build and maintain our septic systems, and raise our crops and livestock must change to protect our drinking water resources and the Wisconsin families who rely on them.

While the study points to multiple sources for bacteria contamination, it reinforced that the extensive nitrate contamination issues we see in southwestern Wisconsin are primarily a consequence of agricultural practices. While there are instances where septic systems contribute to nitrate contamination, the bulk of the problem is caused by fertilizer and manure.

The counties, residents, farm groups, and the Department of Natural Resources that supported and invested in this study should be commended for making it possible. It is an invaluable resource for southwest Wisconsin. Now the hard work of taking bold steps to address this widespread drinking water contamination begins.  

Southwest Wisconsin needs a thriving, resilient agriculture industry and clean drinking water. Farmers and families deserve both, and if we work together, we can have both.

Too often, studies like this lead to proclamations about the importance of clean drinking water and not much more.  While the first water sampling data from this study spurred the creation of the Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality and an array of hearings around Wisconsin that shed light on the many drinking water challenges families face, little has been done since to address these problems. As this study concludes with additional important information about how to address drinking water contamination, let’s hope more action results.

Clean Wisconsin is calling on state lawmakers to fund tangible, effective solutions for families in southwest Wisconsin, after the latest SWIGG Study analysis (https://bit.ly/37Xi8aO) of drinking water in rural homes in the area found evidence of drinking water contamination from farm practices and human waste.