By Liz Holbrook
Mar 8, 2021 11:40 AM
RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) — For National Groundwater Awareness Week a local health department is recommending you get your well water tested.
Manganese is a metal found in soil, rocks, and minerals, frequently with iron. If you live in Northern Wisconsin, you might also find manganese in your water. Last year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources found elevated levels of manganese in public water supplies in counties across northern and western parts of the state. That includes Oneida, Iron, and Marathon counties.
Because of this, the Oneida County Health Department is encouraging Northwoods residents to get their well water tested. “The Oneida County health department just wants to make private well owners aware that there is a potential for manganese exceedances in their well,” Todd Troskey, an environmental health specialist with the health department, tells WXPR Radio.