Jefferson County residents with private drinking water wells can get their water screened for nitrate at the Jefferson County Fair. Staff from the Jefferson Country Land and Water Department and Health Department will be available for the nitrate screening on Wednesday, July 9th through Friday July 11th from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM. They will be located in the Expo Building adjacent to the Activity Center.
When bringing in a sample to be screened for nitrate, please follow the below steps:
Collect sample in a clean glass or plastic bottle/jar (about eight ounces of water is sufficient)
Obtain the sample no more than 24 hours before the screening
Take samples from the main drinking water source without touching bottle/jar to faucet
Run faucet for 5-10 minutes on cold at full flow before collecting sample
Samples typically take 7 minutes for results
Jefferson County staff will explain the results and may recommend that a water sample be sent to a lab for analysis. Educational information about well water, groundwater contaminants and treatment options will be available.
On weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM throughout the year, citizens can also get their well water screened for nitrate at the Health Department (1541 Annex Road, Jefferson) or the Land and Water Conservation Department (311 S Center Ave, C1050, Jefferson).
For more information on nitrate screening or well testing in Jefferson County, please contact Colton Hutchinson at 920-674-7111 or CHutchinson@jeffersoncountywi.gov.
To learn more about health-related issues with nitrates, please reach out to Elizabeth McGeary at 920-674-7275 or Health@jeffersoncountywi.gov
