SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER

• Wisconsin has nearly 11,500 public water systems which meet the daily water needs of about 4 million people. Public water systems that are owned by a community are called municipal water systems. Waupaca County has 9 municipal water systems.  

GROUNDWATER PROTECTION POLICIES   

• 7 of 9 municipal water systems in Waupaca County have a wellhead protection plan: Clintonville, Embarrass, Iola, Manawa, New London, Waupaca and Weyauwega.
• 3 of 9 municipal water systems in Waupaca County have a wellhead protection ordinance: Embarrass, Iola and Waupaca.
• Waupaca County has adopted an animal waste management ordinance.

MONEY SPENT ON CLEANUP

• Over $15 million has been spent on petroleum cleanup in Waupaca County from leaking underground storage tanks, which equates to $286 per county resident.
• 2 municipal water systems in Waupaca County have spent money to reduce nitrate levels.

GROUNDWATER USE   

• From 1979 to 2005, total water use in Waupaca County has increased from about 9.6 million gallons per day to about 19.2 million gallons per day.*
• The increase in total water use over this period is due to increases in domestic, irrigation, and commercial uses, as well as public use and losses through 2000 with slight decreases by 2005 across all categories except for a rise in industrial use.
• The proportion of county water use supplied by groundwater has decreased from about 99% to 92% during the period 1979 to 2005.*
• Water use in Wisconsin is generally estimated for the following categories:
  • Domestic
  • Livestock
  • Aquaculture
  • Irrigation
  • Industrial
  • Commercial
  • Public use and losses
  • Thermoelectric or mining*

* Thermoelectric and mining data are not considered in water-use tables or figures on this web site. Thermoelectric-power water use is the amount of water used in the process of generating thermoelectric power. The predominant use of water is as non-contact cooling water to condense the steam created to turn the turbines and generate electricity.

SUSCEPTIBILITY OF GROUNDWATER TO CONTAMINANTS   

• Wisconsin has abundant quantities of high-quality groundwater, but once groundwater is contaminated, it's very expensive and often not technically possible to clean.
• An evaluation of the susceptibility of groundwater to contamination in Waupaca County can be seen in the FULL REPORT or accessed through the map link above.

GROUNDWATER QUALITY

• 84% of 227 private well samples collected in Waupaca County from 1990-2006 met the health-based drinking water limit for nitrate-nitrogen.  
• A 2002 study estimated that 36% of private drinking water wells in the region of Wisconsin that includes Waupaca County contained a detectable level of an herbicide or herbicide metabolite. Pesticides occur in groundwater more commonly in agricultural regions, but can occur anywhere pesticides are stored or applied.   
• 6,490 acres of land in Waupaca County are in atrazine prohibition areas.
• 100% of 30 private well samples collected in Waupaca County met the health standard for arsenic.

POTENTIAL SOURCES OF CONTAMINANTS

• There are 40 open-status sites in Waupaca County that have contaminated groundwater and/or soil. These sites include 13 Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) sites, 25 Environmental Repair (ERP) sites and 2 spill sites.   
• There are 2 concentrated animal feeding operations in Waupaca County.
• There is 1 licensed landfill in Waupaca County.
• There are no Superfund sites in Waupaca County.

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