DNR doles out water

In low-key rollout, agency temporarily helps people whose wells are tainted

With livestock-contamination of drinking water a growing concern in Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources has quietly started efforts to provide temporary water supplies to people with tainted wells.

The DNR posted an update on its website in April that said it would provide temporary emergency drinking water when tests show that a water supply is contaminated and is likely due to groundwater contaminated by manure, a person on the property contracts a water-borne illness or there is a sudden change in color or odor of well water,

Two environmental groups issued statements Tuesday announcing the state initiative. Afterward, the DNR said in a statement the agency used aspects from several programs under existing law to set up the water program. It also notified authorities in Kewaunee County, where well contamination has been most severe.

The program's low-key rollout on a high-profile issue perplexed environmental groups who say the agency has been reluctant to criticize the farm community over manure spreading.

“This relief has been a long time in coming and we’re glad the DNR finally stepped up to address this public health threat,” said Sarah Geers, an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates.

The public-interest law firm, an environmental group known as Clean Wisconsin and others have been pressing the DNR to use its powers under state law to provide water on a temporary basis when wells become contaminated.

Water contamination has become an increasingly controversial issue in rural areas of the state, and activists have pointed to livestock, especially large-scale farms, as prime culprits.

The problem has been especially acute in northeastern Wisconsin, which has a large cattle population and fractured bedrock that can allow manure and liquid to soak into groundwater quickly.

In February, a study of groundwater conditions in Kewaunee County found higher levels of well contamination from cattle during wet weather. But the results also showed that human waste from sanitary systems is also polluting wells.

The Algoma School District in Kewaunee County has been providing free, filtered water to about 70 families at a kiosk at the high school since January 2016.

In September, a farm group known as Peninsula Pride Farms also began providing a supply of water to residents with tainted wells in Kewaunee County.

Lee Luft, a member of the Kewaunee County Board, said the DNR's effort was welcome but overdue.

“There has been a lot of prodding, certainly, by the people of Kewaunee County, environmental groups and people living day to day without clean to come up with a better program,” Luft said.

Luft said the DNR has told the county that the agency is developing a network of bottled water dealers around the state that can respond as problems arise.

Scott Laeser of Clean Wisconsin said the program is significant because it applies to people with tainted wells across the state.

To address the long-term problems with livestock, Laeser said the DNR must write tough performance standards it is now drafting for manure spreading to protect groundwater.