Contact Info: Kevin Masarik Center for Watershed Science and Education 800 Reserve St. Stevens Point, WI 54481 715-346-4276 kmasarik@uwsp.edu www.uwsp.edu/cnr/watersheds HELP US TELL OUR STORY BY SHARING YOURS. Are we a resource to you or your community? Please visit UWCX.ORG to describe how
Private vs. Public Water Supplies Public Water Supplies http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/05/22/20-years-after-fatal-outbreak-milwaukee-leads-on-water-testing/ Regularly tested and regulated by drinking water standards. Private Wells Not required to be regularly tested. Not required to take corrective action Owners must take special precautions to ensure safe drinking water.
Required Testing for private wells Well Construction Coliform bacteria Nitrate* Pump work involving entry into a well Coliform bacteria Nitrate* Arsenic* * Requirement added in October 2014
Tests Important to Well Owners Contaminant Which wells should be tested? Coliform Bacteria Every well Annually Frequency Nitrate All wells Test at least once Pesticides Lead Used by pregnant women Levels close to 10 ppm Within ¼ mile of agricultural fields Homes with brass fixtures or copper plumbing installed before 1985 Test before pregnancy Test annually Consider testing at least once every 5-10 years Consider one time test Copper Homes with copper plumbing Consider one time test Arsenic All wells Consider one time test
Why don t people test their water? Don t know what to test for Don t know where to send a sample Just haven t got around to it Don t drink the water Cost Water tastes great Hasn t killed me yet.
Community Well Water Testing Programs 1. Advertising and bottle distribution 2. Sample collection and drop off. 4. Hold educational program for community. 3. Samples are analyzed at WEAL
WI Well Water Quality Viewer Nearly 900,000 households rely on private wells as their primary water supply. Homeowners with private wells are encouraged to have wells tested on a regular basis to determine the safety of the water supply for purposes such as drinking and cooking. While testing is the only way to determine the types and amount of contaminants in a well water system, homeowners, health professionals and local officials often want to know more about water quality issues in their community. Features Search for information on 14 different water quality parameters Health related contaminants: Nitrate Arsenic Atrazine Lead Copper View water quality information at a county, town or section level detail Generate groundwater quality summaries by county, town or any user defined area greater than 1 sq. mile Available online at: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/watershed/pages/wellwaterviewer.aspx
Testing strategies Continue to collect and compile baseline data, particularly in areas where little is known For those areas with detailed groundwater quality data, develop approaches to investigate changes in quality over time Focus on areas where problems have been identified Smaller study areas more detail, apply advanced testing capabilities. Testing over longer period, more repeatable testing.
Testing Strategies Continue to collect and compile baseline data, particularly in areas where little is known For those areas with detailed groundwater quality data, develop approaches to investigate changes in quality over time Focus on areas where problems have been identified Smaller study areas more detail, apply advanced testing capabilities Test the same wells at regular intervals over longer period
Agricultural tracers Analyte WI Public Health Standard (parts per billion) Highest Concentration in Chippewa County Study (ppb) Alachlor ESA 20 2.62 Alachlor OA No standard Not detected Metolachlor ESA 4.10 1300 Metolachlor OA 0.21 Septic tracers
Chippewa County: Nitrate by % Agriculture n=197 n=230 n=252 n=65
Chippewa County: Nitrate and septic system density
2016 Nitrate Concentration (mg N/L) 1 12 23 34 45 56 67 78 89 100 111 122 133 144 155 166 177 188 199 210 221 232 243 254 265 276 287 298 309 320 331 342 353 364 375 386 397 408 419 430 441 452 463 474 485 496 507 Nitrate Change (mg/l) Comparing nitrate concentrations over time 25 15 5-5 -15-25 Decreased (10%) n=51 Little to no change (64%) n=327 Increased (26%) n=132 2007 vs. 2016 (n=510) 35 30 25 20 15 10 Year Nitrate Average (mg N/L) Greater than 10 mg/l 1985 4.2 11.3% 2007 4.7 12.3% 2016 5.5 18.3% 5 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 2007 Nitrate Concentration (mg N/L)
Future Groundwater Concerns Climate Change Impacts to Groundwater Longer growing seasons Changing cropping systems/land-uses Increased potential for pollutant delivery to groundwater Emerging Contaminants Pharmaceuticals Antibiotics Viruses Naturally occurring metals and minerals (ex. strontium, aluminum, uranium, molybdenum, etc.)
Contact Info: Kevin Masarik Center for Watershed Science and Education 800 Reserve St. Stevens Point, WI 54481 715-346-4276 kmasarik@uwsp.edu www.uwsp.edu/cnr/watersheds HELP US TELL OUR STORY BY SHARING YOURS. Are we a resource to you or your community? Please visit UWCX.ORG to describe how
Water quality changes over time (1985, 2007, 2016) All samples Nitrate-Nitrogen (mg/l) Chloride (mg/l) n Median Mean StDev Min Max Median Mean StDev Min Max 1985 715 2.8 4.2 4.4 <0.1 28.0 6.8 10.7 13.7 <1 182 2007 800 3.5 4.7 4.8 <0.1 32.1 10.0 19.0 38.7 <1 858 2016 744 4.1 5.5 5.6 <0.1 34.9 13.5 27.6 69.6 0.5 1520
Examples of TNC wells with decreasing trend
Examples of TNC wells with an increasing trend
Examples of TNC wells w/no trend
Location and result for TNC wells
Counties that have seen more TNC wells increase (red) or decrease (blue) Masarik et al., 2014
Casing depth and nitrate Above SWL n=122 n=196 n=107 n=89 n=230