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St. Croix County staff report rising groundwater nitrates, expand monitoring and cost‑share outreach
Summary
County staff reported an average private‑well nitrate concentration of 5.48 mg/L in 2024, noted that 12% of volunteer wells exceeded the EPA drinking‑water standard (10 mg/L), and outlined expanded sampling, modeling and USDA cost‑share plans focused on the Kinnickinnic Headwaters.
St. Croix County Land & Water staff presented a year‑long update on water‑quality monitoring and outreach that shows persistent nitrate contamination in parts of the county and a plan to scale up targeted action.
Tim Stever, the county’s Land and Water Conservation Administrator, told the committee the 2016 Water Quality Study Group’s recommendations led to a sustained monitoring program and mapping work to identify sensitive areas. He said staff have built a network of monitoring wells, mapped sinkholes and karst features that affect groundwater vulnerability, and run clinics that have collected nearly 2,000 samples over five years.
The report said staff used available data and modeling (including a DRASTIC‑style vulnerability model and focused HUC‑12 evaluations) to prioritize watersheds for action and to relate high nitrate wells to land use and well construction. "If a person cases their well below the bedrock, they generally have cleaner water," Stever…
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