Wisconsin residents can take a number of steps to make sure their drinking water is safe. Here are a few suggestions:

• If you live in one of the 940,000 households in Wisconsin that rely on a private well, have your water tested or test it yourself. The state Department of Natural Resources recommends getting your well tested once a year for coliform bacteria and any time you notice a change in how your water looks, smells or tastes. Check with your county health department on what contaminants may be found in your area and for which you might also want to test.
• You can get more information on testing from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, including details on how to obtain testing kits and the costs of various tests. The test for coliform bacteria, for example, costs $29, as do the tests for lead and nitrate.
• For those using municipal water, get the consumer confidence report from your local water utility. Or you can access the reports on the DNR’s database of public water systems. Also, find out if your utility disinfects for viruses or uses corrosion control to help keep lead out of pipes.
• If your home was built before 1984, consider having it assessed for lead in the water. While pre-1950 homes often have lead service pipes, some homes built before 1984 may have lead solder on the pipes or fixtures that contain lead. Consult the DNR website for safer ways to use water that may contain lead.
• Consider a filter for your water. But make sure that the filter you choose is effective for removing the specific contaminants that are in your water. The University of Wisconsin-Extension website has advice on which to choose.

The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

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Safeguarding your drinking water: What you can do

by Ron Seely, Wisconsin Watch
November 8, 2015

<h1>Safeguarding your drinking water: What you can do</h1> <p class="byline">by Ron Seely, Wisconsin Watch <br />November 8, 2015</p> <div class="sidebar2"> <h5>Main Story</h5> <p><a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/11/safe-clean-drinking-water-eludes-many-wisconsinites">Safe, clean drinking water eludes many Wisconsinites</a></p> <h5>Pathogens: Part One</h5> <p><a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2016/05/bacteria-in-states-drinking-water-is-public-health-crisis">Bacteria in state’s drinking water is ‘public health crisis’</a></p> <h5>Pathogens: Part Two</h5> <p><a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2016/05/human-waste-pollutes-some-wisconsin-drinking-water">Human waste pollutes some Wisconsin drinking water</a></p> <h5>This Series</h5> <p><a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/series/faucetfail/">Failure at the Faucet</a> is a series exploring risks to drinking water across Wisconsin. <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/11/about-our-failure-at-the-faucet-series/">Read more.</a></p> <p>Having trouble with the quality of your water? Send us an email at <a href="mailto:tips@wisconsinwatch.org">tips@wisconsinwatch.org</a> </p> </div> <p>Wisconsin residents can take a number of steps to make sure their drinking water is safe. Here are a few suggestions:</p> <ul> <li>If you live in one of the 940,000 households in Wisconsin that rely on a private well, have your water tested or test it yourself. The state Department of Natural Resources recommends getting your well tested once a year for <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2462002/basic-information-about-pathogens-and-indicators.pdf">coliform bacteria</a> and any time you notice a change in how your water looks, smells or tastes. Check with your county health department on what contaminants may be found in your area and for which you might also want to test.</li> <li>You can get more <a href="http://www.slh.wisc.edu/environmental/water/">information</a> on testing from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, including details on how to obtain testing kits and the costs of various tests. The test for coliform bacteria, for example, costs $29, as do the tests for lead and nitrate.</li> <li>For those using municipal water, get the consumer confidence report from your local water utility. Or you can access the reports on the <a href="http://prodoasext.dnr.wi.gov/inter1/pws2$.startup">DNR’s database of public water systems</a>. Also, find out if your utility disinfects for viruses or uses corrosion control to help keep lead out of pipes.</li> <li>If your home was built before 1984, consider having it assessed for lead in the water. While pre-1950 homes often have lead service pipes, some homes built before 1984 may have lead solder on the pipes or fixtures that contain lead. Consult the <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2462047/lead-advice.pdf">DNR website</a> for safer ways to use water that may contain lead.</li> <li>Consider a filter for your water. But make sure that the filter you choose is effective for removing the specific contaminants that are in your water. The <a href="http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/watershed/Documents/Improving%20your%20private%20well%20water%20quality.pdf">University of Wisconsin-Extension website</a> has advice on which to choose.</li> </ul> <p><em>The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (<a href="www.WisconsinWatch.org">www.WisconsinWatch.org</a>) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.</em></p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/11/safeguarding-your-drinking-water-what-you-can-do/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org">Wisconsin Watch</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=118955&amp;ga4=G-D2S69Y9TDB" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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