Marathon County ERC backs $20,000 pilot to protect municipal wellheads
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Summary
The Marathon County Environmental Resources Committee voted Jan. 6 to support a $20,000 Environmental Impact Fund request for a pilot “Green-for-Green” program to convert cropland around municipal wells to prairie/pasture and other protective uses to reduce nitrate risk and avoid costly water treatment or new wells.
The Marathon County Environmental Resources Committee on Jan. 6 supported a request to allocate $20,000 from the county’s Environmental Impact Fund for a Green-for-Green pilot aimed at protecting municipal wellhead areas.
County conservation staff and partners described the program as a preventive approach that helps municipalities reduce nitrate and other contamination risks by changing land uses near public wells. County conservationist Kirstie Heidenreich told the committee that roughly 35 wellhead protection areas exist in the county and that land-use change projects — such as the Athens example where 60 acres were converted to prairie and pasture — can reduce inputs that drive rising nitrate levels.
The staff presentation said Marathon County has received about $6,000,000 historically from impact payments tied to the Arrowhead–Weston transmission project; roughly $225,000 remains unallocated in the Environmental Impact Fund. Heidenreich and partners said the proposed $20,000 would be used to cover early-phase barriers, including the high upfront cost of prairie seed (estimated $7,500–$10,000 per project), equipment rental, and initial rental payments to landowners when municipal budgets cannot provide up-front funds.
Andrew Leeson of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association supported the request and described technical steps his group takes to help municipalities develop source-water protection plans, including well-by-well sampling to identify problem wells. Leeson cited Abbotsford testing that found three individual wells with elevated nitrate levels, including one exceeding 12 mg/L — above a long-term trend that could trigger corrective action if it reached the federal maximum contaminant level of 10 mg/L.
Beth Finzer of the Wisconsin DNR’s municipal groundwater team told the committee that proactive land-use changes can avoid far larger costs later. She cited example projects where installing treatment cost about $800,000 and where drilling a new municipal well could exceed $1 million. “Source-water protection has the potential to have huge cost-saving benefits for public water supply systems,” she said.
After questions about scale and target areas, Supervisor Cito moved to support the $20,000 request and Supervisor DeBruhe seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote. Staff said the Green-for-Green funds would be used to leverage other grants and programs (CRP, DNR grants, federal partners such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and that county staff will report back on projects and expenditures.
Next steps: county staff will apply the EIF allocation to specific municipal projects as they become ready, coordinate with partner funding sources, and provide updates to the ERC on outcomes and expenditures.