Oconto County residents have the opportunity to bring a sample of their well water and have the nitrate quantity analyzed free of charge during this year’s county fair.
The well water nitrate testing is being provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and will be conducted by Scott Reuss, regional crops/soils educator.
Reuss will be on hand at the Oconto County Youth Fair in Gillett on Aug. 23 from noon to 6 p.m., at the Extension display, located adjacent to the fair office in the main exhibit building. Normal fair entrance procedures need to be followed by anyone wishing to deliver a water sample for testing.
Water samples should be collected and transported in a sealed, clean container, although type of container should not affect the test values. Bring at least one cup of drinking water, preferably collected prior to any in-home treatment systems affecting it. The testing process takes only a few minutes to complete. The accompanying display will have maps showing past well water test results, the geological features that create groundwater contamination risk, and other information regarding various water quality concerns that homeowners may have.
Nitrates are very commonly found in the groundwater in our region due to sandy native soils. Human activities tend to lead to increasing nitrate content in groundwater, with shallow wells or sand points having a much higher chance of seeing elevated levels. Nitrates can become elevated to potentially dangerous levels due to nitrogen fertilizer leaching through the soil, septic systems, manure application, and other potential issues.
Samples should be labeled with the person’s name and contact information. Pre-registration is not required, but for more information, contact Reuss at 715-732-7510, 715-701-0966 or scott.reuss@wisc.edu.
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