XPost: talk.politics.guns, wi.general, alt.checkmate   
   XPost: alt.global-warming   
   From: ban_fracking@nytimes.com   
      
   MADISON – The Department of Natural Resources has started to   
   release the findings of voluntary "forever chemical" testing of   
   water utilities across the state, finding new contaminations.   
      
   PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a family of   
   man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant   
   qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick   
   cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes   
   5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the   
   environment and the human body over time.   
      
   The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular   
   cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive   
   systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid   
   hormones. The chemicals enter the human body largely through   
   drinking water.   
      
   Here are where high levels of PFAS have been found in Wisconsin   
   so far.   
      
   Marinette and Peshtigo   
   Marinette and Peshtigo were the first two locations in Wisconsin   
   to discover PFAS contamination. The compounds stem from   
   firefighting foam testing conducted outdoors by Ansul Company,   
   which is now known as Tyco Fire Products, a subsidiary of   
   Johnson Controls.   
      
   The testing took place from 1962 to 2017, and after the foam was   
   released, it was often washed into the surrounding soil or into   
   the drains going to the Marinette sewer system.   
      
   Testing has shown concentrations of more than 400 parts per   
   trillion of PFOA and more than 5,000 parts per trillion of PFOS.   
   The highest concentration found in groundwater samples were   
   254,000 parts per trillion and in sail was 122,000 parts per   
   trillion.   
      
   The contamination at the site also got into groundwater,   
   impacting private wells in nearby Peshtigo. A settlement was   
   reached early last year between the company and homeowners in   
   the area over the impacts of the contamination.   
      
   Rhinelander   
   Rhinelander was one of the first water systems in Wisconsin to   
   find PFAS contamination, prompting the shutdown of two wells   
   near the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.   
      
   The city has continued to test its wells quarterly, and is in   
   the process of searching for a solution to the contamination,   
   said Zach Vruwink, the City Administrator.   
      
   More:Toxic 'forever chemicals' aren't defined as hazardous in   
   Wisconsin — so the state can't force cleanup, judge says   
      
   Town of Campbell   
   The Town of Campbell, located on French Island near La Crosse,   
   has extensive PFAS contamination impacting private wells.   
      
   The PFAS being found in drinking water across the island are   
   likely the result of the use of PFAS-containing firefighting   
   foam at the La Crosse Regional Airport for decades. PFAS were   
   first detected on the island in 2014 in La Crosse municipal   
   wells, and testing of private wells began in late 2020.   
      
   About 2,000 residents on French Island are currently receiving   
   bottled water either from the City of La Crosse or through the   
   Department of Natural Resources. The DNR estimated last year it   
   will spend about $600,000 a year on providing water to residents.   
      
   Eau Claire   
   Eau Claire shut down a few of its wells in early 2021 after PFAS   
   were detected. But by late 2021, the compounds were found in   
   more of the wells, indicating that functioning wells were   
   pulling them from one area of the water table into another. The   
   city then shut down eight wells of their 16.   
      
   The wells with elevated levels showed results ranging from 21 to   
   70 parts per trillion.   
      
   To deal with the contamination the city has created lagoons in   
   its well field to create a place to dump water that has tested   
   positive for high levels of PFAS, according to utility manager   
   Lane Berg.   
      
   Wausau   
   Wausau's mayor announced in early 2022 that all six wells within   
   the city limits were impacted by PFAS, or per- and   
   polyfluoroalkyl substances. The wells tested between 23 parts   
   per trillion and 48 parts per trillion, all above the state's   
   recommended health safety levels of 20 parts per trillion.   
      
   Weston   
   Weston shut off two of its six drinking water wells in March,   
   after PFAS were found. According to DNR data, the water utility   
   showed elevated levels of PFOS at 47.4 parts per trillion in one   
   well, much higher than the state's recommended health advisory   
   level. Other wells were found to have levels below the advisory   
   of PFOS and PFOA, two of the most well-known PFAS compounds, as   
   well as other PFAS compounds.   
      
   Rib Mountain   
   In late 2021, Rib Mountain tested its water and found PFAS in   
   four of its wells, with levels above the recommended 20 parts   
      
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