Portage County to offer nitrate screening
For the Gazette
PORTAGE COUNTY – Portage County staff will offer a free nitrate screening event on June 9 at the Sharon Town Hall, for those residents with private wells in and around the town of Sharon.
“Most residents living in rural areas rely on private wells to supply their drinking water needs. While public and municipal wells are regulated to ensure that water quality meets current drinking water standards, private well owners must assume the responsibility of testing and treating their water to ensure that it is safe to drink,” a Portage County release stated.
“While most of the wells in Wisconsin produce safe drinking water, about 24% of wells in Portage County exceed the safe drinking water standard for nitrate-nitrogen. Nitrate-nitrogen is one of the most common groundwater pollutants in Portage County. There are a number of potential health risks associated with elevated nitrate-nitrogen levels in drinking water for anyone, but it can be especially dangerous for unborn children and infants younger than six months. While water may look clean and taste good, the only way to know that it is safe to drink is to have it tested.
“This screening is an opportunity for area residents, particularly those who may never have had their water tested, to learn more about nitrate-nitrogen levels in their drinking water. The screening is not a lab-certified test but rather a preliminary test that provides an estimate of the nitrate-nitrogen present in the water sample.”
To collect the sample, identify a source that is not connected to a treatment device. An outside faucet works best. Then, locate a clean container with a lid to collect the water sample. Label the outside of the container with your name or address. Allow the water to run 5-10 minutes before collecting your sample. Fill the container with about a half cup of water.
Label the container with your name and address and bring it to the Sharon Town Hall on June 9, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and drop off your sample in the cooler.
Samples will be screened by the Portage County Water Resources Specialist and results will be mailed directly to the well owner.
For more information about this nitrate-nitrogen screening, contact Jen McNelly at 715-346-1334 or [email protected].