Local citizen interest in well water screening this summer has been great. At the low price of $8 for each screen, concerned well owners and well water users can check the condition of their well water by having their well water screened for nitrates and/or fluorides at the Health Department. Safe and healthy water is one of the most important resources Wisconsin residents have for drinking, cooking, and bathing.  Municipalities regularly test their drinking water supplies to ensure they are safe.  Private well owners have the primary responsibility to maintain their wells and ensure the safe condition of their well water. Recent Ozaukee County statistics indicate that at least 4% of the private wells screened had significantly high levels of nitrates and 57% were deficient in fluoride.

The Ozaukee County Public Health Department recommends that concerned citizens check their well water annually for nitrates and fluorides. If infants under the age of six months and women of childbearing age drink the well water, then a nitrate screen is necessary. Consumption of high levels of nitrates in the well water can cause a serious health condition in infants called the “blue baby syndrome”, which has symptoms similar to suffocation. Nitrates are primarily found in agricultural fertilizers. Fluoride in drinking water is essential for good dental health.  Fluoride helps to prevent cavities and is important for children, teens, and adults. Fluoride occurs naturally in bedrock, but the amount of fluoride in your well water may vary from well to well.

For more information on how to get your well water screened for nitrates and/or fluorides, please call the Ozaukee County Public Health Department at (262) 284-8170 local or (262) 238-8170 metro Monday—Friday between 8:30—5:00 pm. Or, just bring in 6 oz. of your well water in a clean, capped container to 121 West Main Street, 2nd floor of the Administration Building in Port Washington.