Nitrate groundwater contamination widespread in De Pere

Groundwater pollution in several parts of Assembly District 2 have reached unsafe levels, according to data collected in Brown and Mantiwoc counties. Wells around Greenlake, Cooperstown, Maribel, and north of Kellnersville and Francis Creek have all tested for high levels of nitrate.

Nitrate is the state’s most common groundwater contaminant. Drinking water with high levels of nitrate have been linked to cancers, thyroid disorders, and blue baby syndrome. Direct medical costs linked to nitrate contamination range from $24 million to $80 million per year according to at least one analysis. Other reports have shown that Wisconsin doesn’t have enough land to safely dispose of  the amount of manure produced in its agricultural industry. Manure from livestock is a main source of nitrate contamination in groundwater across the state.

A limit of 10 parts per million has been set for nitrate in drinking water by public health officials. Residents may contact the Department of Natural Resources to get wells tested, or access to bottled water to replace their drinking water while the well contamination is addressed.

Renee Gasch, a Democratic candidate running for the Assembly District 2, released a statement about the news: “Every person in Wisconsin deserves clean water, and no family should have to drink contaminated water because they cannot afford to replace a well,” Gasch stated. Gov. Tony Evers has launched a series of  clean drinking water remediation and compensation programs. In late October, $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds opened up for well owners in Wisconsin.

“Clean water is vital to our state and to our district,” Gasch said in her statement. “Northeast Wisconsin’s 2nd Assembly District runs from the shores of the Fox River in De Pere to the beaches of Lake Michigan in Two Rivers. Residents who live around the sandy soils in the central part of the district and along the bedrock of the Niagara Escarpment are at a greater risk of having contaminated well water and should take caution.”