By HEATHER McDONALD

Results of the first Portage Countywide well sampling show about a quarter of those wells have higher than standard safe levels of nitrates, an element that could affect health. On the flip side, just more than a quarter had no nitrates detected.

The sampling, which was collected and data analyzed by the University of Wisconsin-Extension and UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources, will provide a baseline for future samplings and a starting point for more discussions on how the county might be involved with water quality programs.

“The importance of this project really cannot be understated,” said Jen McNelly, county water resource specialist. “(It) provides a uniform look at water quality across the county … we can go back and use (it) for analysis for trends over time and evaluate the work we do.”

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