Drinking water hasn’t been a huge issue in the race for governor, but it’s everything for people in Kewaunee County.
Federal, state and local leaders have been working with researchers to address contamination.
Progress is being made to protect drinking water, and candidates have shared their thoughts on what should be done to address water contamination.
Balza pays $30 a month for six water coolers and buys 24-packs of bottled water because she doesn’t trust her well water is safe to drink.
Walker’s DNR formed a work group to address water contamination several years ago.
The research led to new state standards for manure spreading in eastern Wisconsin that were approved by Walker.
Farms with less than two feet of soil won’t be able to spread manure because it’s more likely contaminants will pass through thin soil into the region’s fractured bedrock, ultimately reaching groundwater.
Farmers don’t want wells contaminated because it could be their own well.
The problem, Muldoon said, is that spreading restrictions and soil depth don’t provide the most protection for groundwater.
Erika Balza says her well in Kewaunee County has been contaminated with nitrates, bacteria and manure because of farming practices and the region’s fractured bedrock.