More than half of Kewaunee County wells studied contain fecal microbes
LUXEMBURG — Up to 60 percent of sampled wells in a Kewaunee County study contained fecal microbes, many of which are capable of making people and calves sick, a new scientific study has found.
The microorganisms included Cryptosporidium, a parasite that comes from both people and animals. Researchers estimated Crypto in drinking water is likely infecting 140 of the county’s 20,000 residents each year.
More than 200 people gathered last week at the Expo Hall at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds to hear the latest results of a study into the source of viruses, bacteria and parasites in their private well water, and what, if anything, they can do to protect their health.
Kewaunee County, where cattle outnumber people nearly 5 to 1, has become a focal point in Wisconsin over whether local, state and federal governments adequately protect drinking water from manure from dairy farms, especially in areas of fractured bedrock, which is common in northeastern Wisconsin. The latest results show an even higher percentage of well contamination than earlier rounds of testing, which had found that about one-third of tested wells were polluted.
According to the study, financed in part by the state Department of Natural Resources, the source of the contamination is both bovine and human waste that enters groundwater through cracks in so-called karst or fractured bedrock in Kewaunee County. The DNR began supplying bottled water this spring to local residents whose wells were found to be tainted by manure.
The researchers cautioned that the percentage of wells with microbial contamination may be even higher than their data show, since the 131 targeted wells were sampled only once during the study period, from April 2016 to March 2017.
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Originally Posted by Raginfridus
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