Current Policies and Programs in Wisconsin Fail to Curb Nitrate Pollution, Report Says

Current Policies and Programs in Wisconsin Fail to Curb Nitrate Pollution, Report Says


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Current Policies and Programs in Wisconsin Fail to Curb Nitrate Pollution, Report Says

September 25, 2025 | Source: Wisconsin Public Radio | by Danielle Kaeding

Mark Brueggeman waited six years before his contaminated well could be replaced.

The village of Nelsonville resident first discovered high nitrate levels in his well in 2018. Testing showed levels as high as 23 parts per million — more than double the federal health standard of 10 parts per million in drinking water.

Soon after, Brueggeman contacted Culligan and installed a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink. Despite securing safe water, he worried about his wife, who had developed Alzheimer’s disease, drinking water from unfiltered taps in their home.

“I realized I could not let her get her own water because there was no way she was going to go to the single spigot in the kitchen that had (potable) water,” Brueggeman said.

Since then, he’s been paying a monthly fee for safe water. In 2022, he secured a state grant to install a new well last year that cost $20,000. Nitrate levels have fallen, but he’s still treating his water.

“I don’t trust the new well to maintain clean water because none of the farming practices around here have changed,” Brueggeman said.

He believes contamination in his well came from agriculture, which has been linked to 90 percent of nitrate contamination in Wisconsin’s groundwater. Most recent data shows about 7 percent of the state’s 800,000 private wells have exceeded the nitrate health standard over the past two decades. Although, rates are higher than 20 percent in some areas.

The post Current Policies and Programs in Wisconsin Fail to Curb Nitrate Pollution, Report Says appeared first on Organic Consumers.



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