title: Private drinking water quality in rural Wisconsin.
abstract: Between July 1, 2007, and December 31, 2010, Wisconsin health departments tested nearly 4,000 rural drinking water supplies for coliform bacteria, nitrate, fluoride, and 13 metals as part of a state-funded program that provides assistance to low-income families. The authors' review of laboratory findings found that 47% of these wells had an exceedance of one or more health-based water quality standards. Test results for iron and coliform bacteria exceeded safe limits in 21% and 18% of these wells, respectively. In addition, 10% of the water samples from these wells were high in nitrate and 11% had an elevated result for aluminum, arsenic, lead, manganese, or strontium. The high percentage of unsafe test results emphasizes the importance of water quality monitoring to the health of nearly one million families including 300,000 Wisconsin children whose drinking water comes from a privately owned well.
authors.affiliation: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, USA. lknobeloch@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Knobeloch
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorski
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christenson
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012423:Rural Health; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D060753:Water Quality / Q000592:standards; D060986:Water Wells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014922:Wisconsin
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical