Dunn County is offering free well water testing this summer, and officials hope to test 300 wells.
Heather Wood, Dunn County water resources specialist, said the testing “is open to anyone with a well within Dunn County, and there is no cost to participants.”
The testing will be conducted by the Dunn County Health Department, and the tests will look for nitrates.
This will be the third year in a row that the county has offered this free service for well owners. A massive effort in 2023 sampled 995 wells in total, with 973 private wells and 22 wells representing town halls included. A follow up program last year tested 263 wells.
The regular testing is helping the county establish water quality data for the county as a whole. The Dunn County Well Water Quality Map is available on the Dunn County website. The map does not identify participants or individual well tests but instead shows general trends down to the section level.
“We are getting a much clearer picture of where we have groundwater issues and where we don’t,” Wood said. “We appreciate well owners getting their water tested.”
High nitrates, for example, tend to be concentrated in the southeastern corner of the county, Wood said, which isn’t surprising given the sandy soils in the areas with higher nitrate concentrations. Nitrates often result from agricultural runoff, septic systems and fertilizers.
Each well owner who participated will receive a letter from the county Land and Water Conservation Division, explaining the results and what resources are available if there is contamination that needs to be mitigated. Dunn County cannot mandate or fund private water treatment systems or the replacement of any wells that have high test results through this program, Wood said.
Those who wish to participate in the 2025 program can sign up at https://dunncountywi.seamlessdocs.com/f/groundwatertest or contact Wood directly at (715) 231-6532 or email hwood@dunncountywi.gov
