2012-2013 Annual Report
WEAL Lab determines safety of water in homes across Wisconsin The Water and Environmental Analysis Lab (WEAL) tested drinking water for more than 3,000 households to determine if it was safe to drink. Ten percent of the households tested had water exceeding standards for nitrate levels and 17 percent were unsafe because of the presence of coliform bacteria. WEAL staff and students also helped conduct 14 Drinking Water Education Programs in partnership with county Extension and Conservation offices. Through these programs staff and students helped 1200 private well owners in 11 counties understand potential remedies for drinking water problems and the relationship of land use practices to groundwater quality. The Water and Environmental Analysis Lab is a state-of-the-art facility used to analyze water and other environmental media housed within the Center for Watershed Science and Education (CWSE). On average 20 students are employed in the lab gaining hands-on skills while earning money. CWSE is a partnership between the UW-Stevens Point CNR and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Streamside owners have new tool for managing waterways Streamside homeowners have a new resource to help improve and maintain waterways adjacent to their land. Mike Dombeck, professor of global conservation, coauthored My Healthy Stream with Jack Williams, Trout Unlimited senior scientist, and Chris Wood, president and chief executive officer of Trout Unlimited. The handbook provides basic principles and practices of good streamside management to landowners in rural and urban settings. Some of the topics included in the handbook are ways homeowners can assess the condition of their streams, ways to manage invasive species, and how to deal with extreme weather. The book may be purchased through the Aldo Leopold Foundation, www.aldoleopold.org/books.
Wisconsin Well Water Viewer gives citizens and agencies easy access to water quality data The Center for Watershed Science and Education (CWSE) unveiled the “Wisconsin Well Water Viewer” that allows citizens and agency staff to view drinking water quality in an interactive map anywhere a well sample was taken. The viewer plots water quality for a dozen parameters on maps than can be viewed from the state to section scale. In operation for just over a year, the viewer has been visited by 5,000 people. It is a great resource for people who have questions about water quality in their area. The Well Water viewer can be found at www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/watershed/Pages/WellWaterViewer.aspx.
from top: WEAL students utilize various analysis to determine the suitability of homeowner water samples for drinking; Mike Dombeck, professor of global conservation, co-authored a handbook for streamside owners titled “My Healthy Stream”; The Center for Watershed Science and Education designed a program allowing people to view water quality results across Wisconsin.
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