Eau Claire (WQOW)- A new report about drinking water has WQOW asking questions about how your water is monitored. Wisconsin's annual public water report is in and the results are good. The job of overseeing drinking water is no small task. Wisconsin has more public water systems than any other state except Michigan.
"If you don't hear about us, it's because we are doing a good job," laughs DNR Drinking Water Engineer Brad Henderson.
The DNR says 96 percent of the state's public water systems served clean drinking water last year. Nationally, the goal for each state is to be at or above 95 percent.
But systems that, for example, have too much nitrate in their water, need to lower that number to be in compliance.
"Anybody with more than 10 parts per million of nitrate in their water supply should be concerned," Henderson notes.
In nature, water usually has a small level of nitrate and that's not a health concern. But it becomes a health concern when those levels rise.
Children and pregnant women specifically shouldn't drink water that isn't up to code because it can lead to sickness and birth defects. The DNR says fertilizer runoff can elevate nitrate levels.
Two local establishments have not met nitrate standards in the past few years; Stardust Theatre in Chetek and a gas station in Foster.
"They can operate between 10 and 20 but they have to post and notify people that they can use the water, but everybody that's using it should be made aware," says Henderson.
Both have made changes to come into compliance. Stardust put in a water treatment system last year, and since then, it has had four water tests that all are in compliance. And the gas station in Foster gets it water from a well. But since adding chlorine to its water, the nitrate levels have dropped.
In 2010, Wisconsin spent $18 million to clean up its public water. That number doubled to more than $36 million last year.
