County offers answers to well questions

In April of this year, the Kewaunee County Board of Supervisors established a Groundwater Task Force (GWTF) to help educate the citizens of Kewaunee County about ground and surface water issues of importance to all county residents. The question and answer that follows is part of a series of informational articles prepared by the task force and designed to inform Kewaunee County residents about the issues of ground and surface water contamination and how  government agencies are working to improve water quality and what you can do to ensure your family maintains a safe water supply.

How do I determine if my well water is safe to drink?

You may obtain a well water test kit from the Kewaunee County Health Department in Kewaunee or from the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Department in Luxemburg.  You may also obtain a well test kit from a private testing laboratory.  Contact information for well test kits is shown below.

Follow the instructions on the well test kit to collect your water sample and submit your sample for evaluation as instructed on the kit.  You will receive your individual well test results shortly after you submit your sample.  If the results of your well test indicate your well is unsafe for human consumption due to high bacterial levels or high nitrate levels, you will want to review the remainder of this news release.

When is a private well considered bacteriologically unsafe or “contaminated”?

The Wisconsin DNR considers a well to be unsafe (bacteriologically-contaminated) if the water has tested positive for total coliform bacteria and remains bacteria-positive after three attempts to “shock” chlorinate the well or if other well improvement efforts by a licenced well professional do not bring the well water to safe levels or if the well tests positive for E. coli bacteria.  Your well water is also unsafe to use for human consumption if the test results indicate levels of Nitrates above 10 parts per million.

What do I do if my water test results show unsafe levels of bacteria or nitrates?

First : A number of conditions can cause a formerly safe well to become contaminated.  If your well test results indicate well contamination, you may first want to check to see if any of these conditions are present at your well:

• Ensure you well is not in an area that is prone to flooding or “ponding”.  Seek professional advice to determine if the landscaping around your well is allowing water to drain in the direction of your well.
• Ensure that if you have a septic system on your property that it is operating properly and that if your septic system is in close proximity to your well that it is not introducing bacteria into your well.  
• Ensure that no livestock waste from your property or a neighboring property is running toward your well or that livestock wastes are not spead into vulnerable areas such as sink holes, abandoned wells, drainage ditches or waterways near your well.
• Have a licensed well professional check your well and your water pressure system to ensure it is structurally sound and that it is not in need of repairs or upgrading e.g. a new well cap, improved well casing, etc.

Second:  If the above physical concerns have been checked and you believe these are not contributing to an unsafe well test, then have a well professional add the appropriate amount of chlorine to your well to “shock” the well water and   then retest your well.  If your well water continues to test unsafe or bacteria-positive after three “shock” trials, you should:

• Contact your local DNR private water supply specialist.  Please see “Contacts” information below.
• Provide the DNR private water supply specialist with details about the well testing results, your attempts to “shock” chlorinate the well and any steps you have taken to address the physical condition of the well. 
• The DNR will evaluate the test results and the information you have provided to determine if it is possible to return your existing well to safety or if you are eligible to install a water treatment system on your well.   

Do I need any DNR approvals to install a water treatment system on a well that is considered bacteriologically “contaminated”?

Yes, the DNR will only approve adding water treatment systems to an unsafe well after the DNR has evaluated the steps taken to remedy the contamination as outlined above.  Any water treatment system must be approved by the DNR to ensure that the chosen treatment system will provide on-going protection from contamination.

Will I be forced to dig a new well if my well test indicates ongoing contaminiation?

NO.  In virtually all cases, how a home owner chooses to address the problem of an unsafe well is the decision of the owner(s). You will only need DNR authorization to install a water treatment system on a well contaminated with bacteria.  Some well owners use bottled water to ensure safety in their home while utilizing their existing well.  This is not illegal.

What if my well contamination is due only to unsafe nitrate levels?

If your only well contaminant is an unsafe level of nitrate, you do NOT need DNR approval to install a water treatment system to reduce nitrate content in your well water to safe levels.  Please note that not all nitrate treatment systems are approved for use in Wisconsin.  Should you need to treat your water due to unsafe nitrate levels, you should contact the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for a list of the approved nitrate treatment systems for our state.  In addition, you are still advised to contact the DNR’s Kewaunee County water supply specialist for private wells at the address and phone number shown below to advise them of your nitrate test results.

Is financial help available to well owners who have contaminated water and wish to install a water treatment system or construct a new well?

Yes, there are a number of sources of financial assistance for well owners who have a private well that can not be made safe within the guidelines established by the Wisconsin DNR.  However, only wells contaminated with bacteria from livestock are eligible for the DNR’s Well Compensation Grants and well compensation grants do not apply to wells contaminated solely with unsafe levels of Nitrates.

Other agencies also offer financial assistance in the form of loans or grants for those needing a new well or water treatment system.  In addition federal grants and loans are available.  Please contact your DNR private water specialist and the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services and the United States Department of Agriculture at the addresses listed below for more information about financial aid for home owners with unsafe private wells.

Contacts (listed in order of priority)

Kewaunee County water supply specialist for private wells:  Janelle Merry - (920) 662-5484, janelle.merry@wisconsin.gov. Janelle Merry operates out of the DNR’s Green Bay Service Center office at 2984 Shawano Ave., Green Bay.

Northern Wisconsin field supervisor:  Kyle Burton – (920) 662-5169   kyle.burton@wisconsin.gov. Kyle Burton operates out of the DNR’s Green Bay Service Center office at 2984 Shawano Ave., Green Bay.

DNR Green Bay Service Center: 2984 Shawano Ave., Green Bay. General phone number (920) 662-5100.

Kewaunee County Public Health Department:  810 Lincoln St., Kewaunee. General phone number (920) 388-7160.

Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Department: 625 Third St., Luxemberg, WI  54217  (920) 845-9700.

Analytichem (Kewaunee County certified water testing lab): (920) 866-3944, N9190 Bay Meadows Lane, Luxemberg, WI 54217.

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Health Services: (608) 266-2112 or (877) 617-1565, 1400 E. Washington Ave., Room 112, Madison, WI  53703, or by mail at P.O. Box 8935, Madison, WI  53708-8935.

There will be more updates from the Kewaunee County Groundwater Task Force to follow.  For more information, please see us at www.kewauneeco.org/groundwatertaskforce.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: County offers answers to well questions