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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410988
Research Project: Managing Nutrients and Assessing Pathogen Emission Risks for Sustainable Dairy Production Systems

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Evaluating association of runoff risk advisory forecasts with private well contamination in Kewaunee County, WI

Author
item Cook, Rachel
item Opelt, Sarah
item FIRNSTAHL, AARON - Us Geological Survey (USGS)
item Sherman, Jessica
item Burch, Tucker
item Heffron, Joseph
item Young, Eric
item WAYNE, RICK - University Of Wisconsin
item GOOD, LAURA - University Of Wisconsin
item STOKDYK, JOEL - Us Geological Survey (USGS)
item Borchardt, Mark

Submitted to: American Water Resources Association Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2024
Publication Date: 4/25/2024
Citation: Cook, R.M., Opelt, S.A., Firnstahl, A.D., Sherman, J.F., Burch, T.R., Heffron, J.A., Young, E.O., Wayne, R., Good, L., Stokdyk, J.P., Borchardt, M.A. 2024. Evaluating association of runoff risk advisory forecasts with private well contamination in Kewaunee County, WI. American Water Resources Association Conference Proceedings. April 25-26, 2024.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rural residents use private wells for drinking water in northeast Wisconsin. Groundwater quality can change rapidly in the region’s fractured bedrock aquifer, but residents lack the means to assess real-time water quality in their wells. We aim to evaluate the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast (RRAF) system for alerting private well users to degraded water quality. RRAF is an online tool, developed by the National Weather Service, for predicting risk of manure runoff to surface water. Previous work suggests its predictions may also be associated with groundwater contamination. To evaluate these associations, 36 private wells in Kewaunee County were sampled throughout 1 year during a range of RRAF predictions. Water samples (n = 205) were tested for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB: total coliforms, E. coli, and Enterococci), human and bovine microbial source tracking (MST) markers, and nitrate. Overall, 19 wells were positive for at least one FIB or MST marker, and nitrate concentrations averaged 2.4 mg NO3-N/L (median 0.036 mg NO3-N/L). Nine wells were positive for FIB or MST markers in multiple sampling events, including 1 well positive in 5 of 6 events. FIB detections were most common in spring and fall, while MST detections were most common in February. Nitrate concentrations varied by well (p < 2×10-16) and sampling event (p = 0.017). These data delineate temporal variability in the study area’s groundwater quality and enable evaluation of its association with RRAF predictions.