Waupaca County will discuss whether to reopen it

By Scott Bellile

A community well on County Highway W near Manske Road closed last week due to high levels of arsenic found in the drinking water.

The flowing well in the town of Mukwa was tested and found to have arsenic levels near the Environmental Protection Agency’s health standard of 10 parts per billion, according to an advisory sign posted behind the well.

The well is tested annually for bacteria and nitrate but not arsenic.

“In 2017, the county was made aware by just someone who regularly drank water there that they took some tests and they found some elevated levels of arsenic,” Waupaca County Health Officer Jed Wohlt said.

Testing revealed arsenic levels of 8.9 parts per billion in 2017, Wohlt said.

Follow-up tests indicated 9.4 parts per billion in 2018 and 9.2 and 9.4 parts per billion this year.

Well users who tested the water themselves reported fluctuating arsenic levels between 9 and 10.5 parts per billion, Wohlt said.

The Highway Department posted the advisory sign two years ago after the high arsenic levels were discovered, Waupaca County Highway Commissioner Casey Beyersdorf said.

“It isn’t unsafe yet. It’s reaching (unsafe) levels, which it has (been approaching) since I’ve known about it,” said Beyersdorf, who started his job in 2016.

Water flows from the town of Mukwa’s community well, which is cordoned off by a safety barrier fence, on Thursday, July 11.
Scott Bellile photo

Wohlt said the county has three options for the well: abandon it, repair it or drill a new well that reaches past the arsenic zone.

The third option would be expensive and could force the flowing well to become pump-operated because drilling past the arsenic zone would change its water pressure, Wohlt said.

Beyersdorf said members of the Waupaca County Highway Committee have told him they are “adamant” about repairing the well because of how frequently people use it.

Committee Chairmen Bob Flease and William Jonely did not respond to a request for comment.

Beyersdorf added the well broke this past winter, so a citizen repaired it and informed the Public Health Department of what they did afterward.

A private citizen repairing a well creates public safety concerns, Beyersdorf said, because work pertaining to public drinking water should only be performed by a licensed plumber.

Hintzke Well Drilling Inc. is slated to work on the well to bring it up to code, but Wohlt said county officials will still discuss whether to keep or abandon the well. Wohlt did not offer a timeline for when that decision will be made.

County officials are not aware of any problems with arsenic contamination at another well in the town of Lind, Wohlt said.

According to the EPA, the naturally occurring element arsenic may be released into drinking water through the erosion of rocks and minerals.

Human activities such as agricultural applications, mining and smelting can also lead to arsenic contamination.

Long-term exposure to arsenic can increase people’s risk of developing high blood pressure, skin disorders, diabetes and cancer, Wohlt said.