Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of long-lasting chemicals that have been linked to harmful human health effects, like increased risk of cancer, reduced ability to fight infections and reproductive effects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Across Wisconsin, PFAS contamination has been found in seven out of 10 of private wells sampled in 2022, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
In Madison, PFAS have been found in a variety of public places, including in Lake Mendota, Lake Monona and various private wells, according to the DNR and Public Health Madison and Dane County.
Yet, Madison residents generally get their water from public wells, and PFAS levels in public areas like Lake Mendota don’t correlate to PFAS levels in public wells, according to water resources manager Joe Grande for Madison Water Utility.
“We’re not seeing a connection between what’s in the lake and what’s in the well water [in terms of PFAS contamination],” Grande said.
The Madison Water Utility oversees the 21 wells that service the City of Madison, including the University of Wisconsin campus, according to Grande. They closely monitor a wide variety of regulated contaminants, like volatile organic compounds, pesticides, inorganic compounds, bacterial contaminations and PFAS, according to Grande.
Every day, someone from Madison Water Utility collects samples at 15-20 sites around the city, according to Grande. The frequency of testing depends on the compound of interest — some are tested monthly, others quarterly and others annually or even less, according to Grande.
“[The frequency of testing] depends on what the most recent test results are, how those compare against a standard,” said Grande. “If [a compound] continues to be something of concern, we increase the frequency.”
Madison Water Utility gets its testing guidelines from the EPA and DNR, which dictate the minimum testing frequency, according to Grande. Yet, he said the Madison Water Utility goes well above and beyond the requirements set by those organizations.
They’ve been testing the water for PFAS for the past 10 years, which gives the department a good benchmark for the PFAS levels in the water, according to Grande. Though there are only six regulated PFAS compounds in the state, the Madison Water Utility tests for at least 25 different PFAS compounds, sometimes as much as 36, according to Grande.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time, so we have a pretty good idea of what the PFAS levels are in all of our wells,” said Grande. “There’s about half a dozen or less [PFAS compounds] where we consistently have detections, and all of those are well below those regulatory standards [set by the EPA and DNR].”
Though UW water comes from these public wells, across the state of Wisconsin, nearly 30% of residents get their drinking water from private wells, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Yet, the DNR is not required to inform health departments or residents when there are dangerously high levels of contaminants, like nitrates or PFAS in the groundwater, according to Wisconsin State Representative Jill Billings, D-La Crosse.
Billings authored Senate Bill 628, which would require the DNR to notify the health department, tribal health department or land conservation within seven days if there are high levels of a contaminant in the groundwater that could potentially contaminate nearby private wells, according to Billings.
“I’m simply saying that the public has a right to know if there could be issues with the water they’re drinking,” Billings said.
Though he wasn’t familiar with the particulars, Grande doesn’t believe the Bill will directly affect campus water. Water from the Madison Water Utility services the main UW campus and surrounding residences, Grande said. Results from water quality tests from the Madison Water Utility are already publicly available, according to Grande.
“[The DNR] requires us to do this testing,” Grande said. “They require us to submit these test results, and then those test results are publicly available.”
Yet, Billings still believes this bill is something UW students should care about. Many students’ families likely get their water from private wells, or students might move into houses that are serviced by private wells after they graduate, according to Billings.
“I’m sure there are a lot of students with private wells on their properties.” said Billings. “They probably go home to private wells.”
The Badger Herald reached out to the DNR for a comment on this bill. The department did not provide a statement on pending legislation, but it attached its December 2025 testimony to the Senate Committee of Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs, which can be found on the Wisconsin State Legislature website.
