Nearly All of Wisconsin's Public Water Systems Met Health-Based Standards
Wednesday, September 16th, 2020 -- 9:07 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Nearly all of Wisconsin's public water systems met health-based standards during the past year.That's according to the Department of Natural Resources, which released its annual study on drinking water in the state this week. The report noted that 99 percent of the 11,525 systems met tough health standards. The agency says the vast majority of Wisconsin's public water systems rely on groundwater pumped from wells. However, 56 systems use surface water from Wisconsin lakes to provide drinking water to their customers. "Wisconsin faces numerous challenges, including aging infrastructure, limited funding, nitrate contamination and threats from emerging contaminants," said Adam DeWeese, DNR public water supply section chief. "But the DNR and many other people are working hard to meet those challenges and protect the state's drinking water."
The DNR inspects public water systems regularly and provides on-site assessments when bacterial contaminants are detected. Through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, the agency provided more than $60 million in assistance to 29 communities around the state in 2019 to help them make repairs and improvements to their drinking water systems. Gov. Tony Evers declared 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water, focusing attention on the importance of safe drinking water and initiating new efforts to address concerns about contamination from nitrate, lead and PFAS.
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