Researchers have found that the majority of contamination in private water wells in southwestern Wisconsin were actually attributed to human waste, and not from animal agriculture. That's according to a years-long study conducted by the Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology, or SWIGG.
The group randomly tested 816 wells in the region during 2018 and 2019. Of those wells, researchers found 32 percent had contamination--which is higher than the statewide average. It further concluded that human wastewater was the biggest contributor to the contamination, as it was detected in 64 wells. Cattle manure was found in 33 wells, and pig manure was present in 13 wells.
"Unfortunately, time and again, the solution for cleaning up contamination like this seems to be additional regulations on CAFOs," said Cindy Leitner, president of Wisconsin Dairy Alliance. "The study shows that continuing to regulate the most heavily regulated farmers means ignoring the majority of the problem. Continuing to tighten down on large farmers doesn't improve water quality in a meaningful way and only ensures that farmers shut down or move out of state."
Kim Bremmer of Venture Dairy Cooperative says the research sheds light on the fact that in southwest Wisconsin, if your well tests positive for fecal contamination, you are nearly twice as likely to have human waste from a failing septic system than manure from a cow.
Categories: Wisconsin, General