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Florence health office offers well water testing

Amber Kolberg of the Florence County Public Health Department tests bacteria samples in drinking water.

FLORENCE, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has declared 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water in Wisconsin.

Clean drinking water is important, whether living in an urban or rural community, whether people get their water through a public drinking water system or a private well.

Overall, Florence County does not have high lead or nitrates, which can be of concern in other parts of the state. However, due to the geology of Florence County and past results of arsenic testing countywide, every well should be tested at least once for arsenic levels.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Well Water Quality mapping tool shows county averages for many parameters and can be accessed at https://gissrv3.uwsp.edu/webapps/gwc/pri_wells/.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, it is recommended that private well owners test their water annually for bacteria. Most private wells provide a safe source of drinking water, but it is up to the owner to assure the safety of the water system.

The majority of homes in Florence County are serviced by private wells.

The Florence County Health Department has become a certified bacteria water laboratory through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and holds the DNR Transient non-community contract testing over 40 locations within the county to ensure that safe and dependable water is available to the public.

Wells of businesses that serve the public also are inspected for structural soundness and routes of potential contamination.

Municipal water systems test their water regularly to ensure it is safe, such as those serving the town of Florence and parts of Commonwealth. The results of municipal water supply testing are posted and available to the public by Florence Utilities.

For more information about well water testing, contact Amber Kolberg at the Florence County Health Department at 715-528-4837.

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