Eastern Wisconsin has among the highest levels of the heavy metal strontium in drinking water. Limits may be on the way for this unregulated contaminant.
Category: Water Watch Wisconsin
A project examining the quality and supply of Wisconsin’s water, in collaboration with Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio. Water Watch Wisconsin is supported in part by the Joyce Foundation.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
As wells go deeper, radium levels rise in state tap water
As communities grow and pump more groundwater, radium from deep bedrock is contaminating dozens of water systems. The city of Waukesha wants to tap into Lake Michigan to solve its radium problem.
Posted inFailure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Lead poisoning would trigger tap water test under proposal
Two Democratic lawmakers want the state Department of Health Services to investigate drinking water as a possible source when children are lead poisoned. The proposal also greatly lowers the blood lead levels that would trigger an investigation.
Posted inFailure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
First in the nation: City of Madison replaced all lead pipes
The Madison Water Utility was the first major utility in the nation to demonstrate that a full replacement of both the public and the private portions of lead service lines was possible.
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Lead pipes, antiquated law threaten Wisconsin’s drinking water quality
Experts, and even some regulators, say existing laws are failing to protect Wisconsin and the nation from harmful exposure to lead in drinking water that leaches from aging plumbing — a danger illustrated by the public health crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Posted inFailure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Lead in drinking water poses danger for children, pregnant women
Nearly 4,000 children in Wisconsin were diagnosed with elevated levels of lead in their blood in 2014, though the number has fallen over the years thanks in part to bans on lead in paint and gasoline. Unlike in Flint, Michigan, however, no one knows how much lead in the drinking water contributes to elevated blood lead levels in Wisconsin. There are no requirements to test the drinking water when a child is lead poisoned.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Reducing the risk of lead poisoning from drinking water
According to water quality experts, there are several steps consumers can take to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. These actions are particularly important for pregnant women, formula-fed infants and children under the age of 6. Use only cold water for cooking and drinking. Water from the hot water tap can dissolve lead more […]
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Despite state efforts, arsenic continues to poison many private wells in Wisconsin
An ancient poison that was detected in the late 1980s in Wisconsin’s drinking water persists despite state regulations designed to eliminate it. High-capacity wells can exacerbate the problem.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Costs, water pollution remain at closed Badger Army Ammunition Plant
Decades of toxic waste disposal at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant — including pouring millions of gallons a day of polluted water into Lake Wisconsin — have contaminated some nearby residents’ drinking water and raised concerns about the long-term effects on their health. But help may be on the way.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Cost of most drinking water pollution borne by consumers
Agriculture creates most of the nitrate pollution, but consumers pay most of the cost, whether they drink from public wells or private ones.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
What is nitrate?
Nitrate is a compound naturally found in plants and in vegetables and can be found in groundwater, depending on how much fertilizer and manure is applied to fields.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Going organic: One farmer’s fight against contaminants in the groundwater
In the early 1990s, Jim Goodman and his wife began to worry about how the chemicals they were using on the farm might affect their children. The fourth-generation Wisconsin farmer decided to make the shift away from conventional farming at his Sauk County operation. Now certified organic, the farm includes 120 head of cattle on pasture, including 45 milk cows, and 300 acres of crops.