WHEATON WATER REFILL STATION UPDATE
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC YEAR ROUND!!
Official News Release - Opening of the Chippewa County Land Conservation & Forest Management Wheaton Water Refill Station - November 6, 2024
CLEAN GROUNDWATER
Groundwater provides drinking water entirely or in part for as much as 50% of the global population and accounts for 43% of all water used for irrigation. The Town of Wheaton continues to work in support of clean drinking water for all residents. It is important to note that the threat to clean water is lawn fertilizers, septic systems, and agriculture fertilizers and waste. Septic systems are not designed to filter out nitrates. They are designed to break down bacteria.
The Town of Wheaton has sponsored a Well Sampling Project since 2019. This has been offered to residents every year except 2020 during the pandemic. Results from the four years of testing provide baseline information that will help in the following ways:
- Assists the Township, Chippewa County, and U.W. Stevens Point Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center with documenting the current and changing conditions of groundwater in order to provide education, public information, applied research, and technical assistance in addressing groundwater issues.
- Helps residents monitor their wells for changes in groundwater so actions can be taken if needed.
- Provides information to other Chippewa County government and UW agencies on how soils, well depths, and changes in land use practices affect groundwater.
Continued and expanded residents testing has shown the Town of Wheaton has high nitrate areas. Boiling water will not reduce nitrate levels. In fact, it could make the level of nitrate slightly higher because some of the water will evaporate, however, the nitrate will remain. High levels of nitrates in water can affect everyone such as causing birth defects, blue baby syndrome, thyroid disease, and may increase the chance of colon cancer. High nitrate levels are 10 mg/L and higher.
We recommend annual testing of your water, as groundwater can change!
There are multiple ways to address nitrates in groundwater. Some can be quicker and more expensive while others could require more time and be less expensive. There is no one solution that will solve every groundwater issue experienced!
- Reduce nitrate causing uses.
- Septic system inspections.
- Changes in land use practices. There are several winter agricultural cover crop initiatives going on in the Town of Wheaton and Chippewa County.
- Using bottled water.
- Installing reverse osmosis system.
- Installing a new well. We strongly urge residents to reach out to Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management and U.W. Stevens Point Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center for assistance before proceeding forward with this option.
Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management (LCFM) formed an AD HOC Well Program Committee which is led by Lynda Schweikert, Dept. Chair of LCFM. The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the Federal Government.
Supervisors Alice Droske and Carolyn Kaiser represent Wheaton on this committee. Other members include representatives from the U.W. Stevens Point (Groundwater Education Specialist), environmental engineers, DNR, Geologists, and Chippewa County Public Health.
Committee meetings are held at the County courthouse and open to the public. At the time of this writing, the Town of Wheaton has received maps in regards to water flow, areas of the township where wells have been tested and levels of nitrates in varying areas. There are numerous causes of why your nitrate level may be high. The key point is, we want everyone to be healthy.
Be watchful for visuals as maps will be posted, watch the Town of Wheaton website, come to a town board meeting with questions, get your water tested, and/or attend an AD HOC Committee meeting at the Chippewa County Courthouse.
