Holiday Fox Times

Fox Times A student–run publication

Holiday 2015

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Y o u ’ r e a V I P at L a k e L a n d C o L L e g e I n t h e f o x C I t I e s

Associate degree grads can transfer up to

Credits to start as a junior

fox CItIes BaCheLor’s degrees n Criminal Justice n Accounting n Marketing n Business Administration n Psychology n Communication n Specialized Administration n Computer Science eVenIng, weekend and onLIne oPtIons aVaILaBLe.

Visit us in the fVtC cafeteria on the following days from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. aPPLeton

Wednesday, November 11 Wednesday, December 9

Lakeland College, fox Cities Center 2320 Industrial drive, neenah 888-942-4444 Lakeland.edu/72transfer

CONTENTS

Fox Times | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

2 From the Editor

4 Club Spotlight

12 Ask Foxy Random Questions

14 Cheers and Jeers 17 Recipes

18 History of the Mayflower

20 My Fitness Journey

21

24

30

36

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Foxy Cover Shoot Faces of FVTC FAILURE AT THE FAUCET Safe, clean drinking water eludes many Wisconsinites FAILURE AT THE FAUCET Nitrate in water widespread, current rules no match for it Comics by Phil Hands

Advisor Shannon Gerke Corrigan gerkecor@fvtc.edu Fox Times Staff Members Rich Weber – Editor In Chief William Miller – Layout & Design

Editor Contributors Christiana Coakley

Kate Golden

Mai Yang

Cortland Watters

Brenda Winkler

Liz Oberstadt

Ron Seely

Carrie Stankowski FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 1

F rom The Edit or

Happy holidays everyone! Yes, this issue is quite late. Layout & Design Editor Bill injured his Achilles and has been on injured reserve for the last 6 weeks. How did he do it? Well, to hear Bill tell it he injured himself rescuing orphans from a burning building while thwarting a bank robbery and single handedly taking down ISIS. What really happened?

We were playing Ultimate Frisbee and he took a step and went down like he had been shot. I think I like his version better. Anyhow, this really drives home the point I have been thinking about for months.

Bill and I graduate in May. As of right now, there isn’t anyone on staff that can take our places. The Fox Times needs someone to take the reins during the Spring semester, someone that Bill can train to do layout, and I can train to do everything else. I have been looking for people to do just that for a year. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, it is time consuming. And yes, it is an amazing addition to your resume. Contact me at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com so we can discuss the opportunities that await you at the Fox Times. Now onto the fun things!

where we placed Foxy into an orange jumpsuit and stuck him in the old cell block in the A building. We had a blast putting this one together and the cover shoot was tons of fun. Despite all of the injuries, delays, and time crunches, this was possibly the most fun we have had putting an issue together. Now, onto the graduates!

Congratulations to the December graduates! The journey you undertook to get your Certificate, Technical Diploma, or Associates Degree has come to an end. Now what? Do you find a job, continue on in school, or languish in obscurity peddling fries at McDonald’s? I have chatted with a number of you and the consensus I am hearing is fear of the big, bad, world after Fox Valley Technical College. When I hear this, my question is why?

“The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu When you began your FVTC journey, you were afraid.

I know I was. What if I’m not good enough? What if no one likes me? What if twenty years out of school means my brain is beyond repair? The thing you and I have in common? We took that first step.

You may be wondering about the cover. This was originally the cover for the November issue, and Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black was the featured speaker in November. Which is where “Orange is the new Foxy” came from. Staff injuries and delays prevented us from publishing a November issue. There was also going to be an interview with Piper that I conducted on the night of her event, unfortunately I just have not had the time to listen to it and type it up. That will be in the February issue.

Leaving the FVTC nest isn’t any different. Every door that opens, you need to take that first step. You have done it before, you can do it again. When you do, take that step with confidence and in the knowledge that you have earned the right to that step. Now it is time to earn your place again, wherever you go and whatever you may do. Good luck, safe travels, and congratulations, you will do great.

The photos on the inside are from the cover shoot,

Fox Times Team

Happy Holidays!

2 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

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PHI THETA K APPA HONOR SOCIET Y

©

– BETA EPSI LON OM ICRON –

by Cortland Watters

PTK Public Relations Officer Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society would like to recognize and congratulate you (our recent inductees) on your dedication, hard work, and commitment. Your prestigious performance is inspiring and recognized by all. On October 22, 2015 your achievements have proven to be commemorative and will continue to provide you with great opportunities towards your future success. We welcome you and are greatly honored to have you as new members of our Phi Theta Kappa chapter, Beta Epsilon Omicron. We look forward to creating a memorable, exciting, and brighter chapter that you will always be proud to have been a part of.

Congratulations!

Bahr, Kris Balthazor, Jill Baskett, Stephanie Beers, Brandi Beyersdorf, Kimberly Bishop, Eric Bodoh, Shelley Boettcher, Brittany Boucher, Mason Boughton, Karen Bubolz, Rachel Bumpus, Sherry Butz, Jeffrey Cain, John Calaway, Debbi Campbell, Brian Dernell, Debra Diedrich, Margo Dorsch, Roger Drexler, Lisa Dutter, Whitney Eaton, Kyle Effertz Doherty, Barbara Esbona, Dawn Farley, Elizabeth Fink, Heather Gaines, Katyna Gavronski, Hannah Gibilian, Antonio Goebel, Grant Grawey, Nicole

Groeschel, Mandi Groeschel, Melissa Hackbarth, Holly Handy, Elijah Hanford, Scott Herbst, Steve Hileski, Shaun Hubert, Stephanie Huey, Andrew Jalovec, Julia Jensen, Jennifer Johnson, Abby Jordan, Sarah Juza, Courtney Kettenhoven, Katie Kieffer, Jean King, Dawn Kitowski, Allyson Klemens, Amanda Lancour, Brianna Lange, Jeffrey Lange, Peter Laughlin, Debbie Lemke, Cameron Leroy, Andrew Leschke, Michael Lesnick, Sarah Lisch, Ashley Luft, Noah Maisonneuve, Meggie Maslanka, Rachel

Medina, Majalia Merkle, Caryn Meyer, Carey Meyer, Sonia Miller, Megan Miller, Jacquelynn Moline, Erik Mullenix, Jennifer Nault, Luke Olson, Brian Owen, Patricia Paltzer, Steven Peters, Tim Phan, Nhi Platten, Michelle Popp, Mackenzie Prouse, Jennifer Quint, Andrea Radig, Molly Radtke, James Rasmussen, Joseph Reed, Morgan Reed, Eric Reichwald, Joseph Reoh, Kimberly Riehl, Melissa Riley, Aric Schubert, Cory Schultz, Shannon Seitz, Joshua Semrow, Sarah

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Sergeeva, Svetlana Severson, Corianne Shepard, Elisha Simpson, Michelle Stanczak, Amber Steffek, Crystal Sterken, Kayla Storm, Rhiannon Swanson, Tarina Tasch, Kelly Terry, David Thiel, Jessica Thornton, Albrenda Vance, Kelly Vozka, James Walther, Bryce Watters, Cortland Webber, Lindsay Weinert, Nicole Weishaar, Emily Wheeler, Melissa Williams, Allen Wolf, Talia Yas, Louella Young, Alissandra Zapolsky, Benjamin Zellner, Amanda Zheng, Jianguo Zimdars, Jaime Zimdars, Hailey

Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club

by Michele Miller

On 8 October 2015, the first annual Fox Valley Substance Abuse Coalition Conference 4 HOPE was held at Liberty Banquet Hall in Kimberly, WI. It was organized by the Fox Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, in partnership with local and State organizations, to present a comprehensive approach to the increasing levels of substance abuse and recovery awareness in the Fox Valley area and Wisconsin in general. Participants and presenters came from addiction awareness, prevention, and treatment professionals in the recovery community, and included family members, law enforcement, and educators. Fox Valley Technical College was represented by the Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club, who hosted a resource table.

This was a great opportunity to let professionals in the community know about FVTC’s commitment to service in the community, as well as to network with other service providers.

student and recent member of the Addiction Awareness and Prevention Club, it was my honor to participate in the resource table with our club’s president, Ken Hamberger.

Ken has been relentless in his efforts to build our club and seek opportunities for us to be of service in the community. Jesse Heffernen, a personal recovery coach and consultant with Helios Recovery, LLC is the Fox Valley Substance Abuse Coalition Coordinator and was absolutely instrumental in organizing the Conference 4 Hope. Having the opportunity to be a part of such a thriving and vibrant community effort was a genuine privilege, and the workshops were congruent, thorough, fun, and extremely informative.

The Conference 4 Hope aimed to provide a wide range of substance abuse and recovery workshops, believing that change is possible, new opportunities to serve can be found, and HOPE can be restored to persons and families struggling today – anyone in attendance could attest to the passion, dedication, energy, and camaraderie of the presenters, volunteers, and participants! There were 150 people in attendance, coming together to address substance abuse and recovery as a community issue, rather than a personal issue or private family matter, while also sharing and celebrating successes.

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna gave the conference welcome, followed by the morning keynote by Representative John Nygren of the 89th Assembly District outlining the HOPE Agenda. From 10:30 AM to 2:40 PM, the conference was divided into three sessions comprised of four, one-hour workshops.

Following the workshops, there was a ten-minute period for closing remarks and reflection and then an hour-long Celebrating Recovery Panel featuring representatives from 12 Step groups, White Bison Recovery, SMART Recovery, and Celebrate Recovery.

This conference featured numerous opportunities for networking and mutual support, and as a new FVTC

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FVTC Campus Events January 2016 January 2 – Basketball vs. Black Hawk 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM January 4 – Basketball at Madison College January 8 – Basketball at UW-Washington January 11 – Women’s Basketball @UW-Fox Valley – 5:00 PM January 13 – Men’s Basketball at UW-Fox Valley January 11-15 Interim Week January 16 – Welcome Day January 18 – Bags to Benches Begins One-on-One Wellness Sign-Ups – 9:00 AM-11:00 AM, Entrance 10 Basketball at UW-Manitowoc January 19 – One-On-One Wellness Sign-Ups, 9:00 AM-11:00 AM, PSC January 20 – Student Government Association Meeting 3:30 PM, E130 Coffee, Juice and Donuts – 7:30 AM, AMTC and Spanbauer January 22 – WTCS Ambassador Application Due January 23 – Basketball vs. UW-Shewboygan (Men Only) January 25 – Group Exercise Classes Begin January 26 – Welcome Back Day Oshkosh Riverside, 8:30 AM-Noon January 27 – WiiU Tournament – 3:00 PM, Student Life Center Men’s Basketball at UW-Sheboygan January 29 – WTCS Ambassador Informational Sessions – SLC

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Leadership in the Woods

by Liz Oberstadt, Oshkosh Student Board

On October 9th and 10th, three Oshkosh Student Board members and their advisor, John Rank, went on a Leadership Retreat in the middle of nowhere. Don’t worry, we were in an awesome cabin. As a board, we learned many different topics and activities that focused on Leadership included: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. We learned the does and don’ts in the social media world, different behaviors you will encounter when working as a team.

But as a group, we gained friendships and hope to have these friendships last a long time. OSB just doesn’t just mean Oshkosh Student Board. It also means Opportunity Student Bonding. We want to be anchors for all Oshkosh Campuses.

Our activities include Flip Cup, Obstacle Course to work as a team and to not give up, and of course Football. As Oshkosh Student Board, we discuss how we can improve our campus from having different events each week and the big one is getting people more involved on campus.

We are becoming a more diversity campus then before.

Oshkosh Student Board meets every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. at the Riverside Campus in the Commons.

Our mission statement: To establish activities, build diversity friendships, and gain leadership within in the organization and the Riverside Campus.

Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events.

Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!

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Hmong Student Union I Can’t Look At Another Eggroll

by Mai Yang

First and foremost, as president of HSU I just can’t express how thankful I am to have such an amazing crew this year. I am beyond excited for what each individual can take away from the experiences they have gone through so far this year.

The month of November has been super busy. Club members volunteered for the Salvation Army Christmas registration. We all put in about 50 volunteer hours total in three days. We had some returning members attend again this year to help out as well. As I was a returning member myself, it was great to see familiar faces whether it was a volunteer worker or someone who came to register. One of the workers pointed me out complimenting HSU’s return and that Fox Valley Tech has always had outstanding volunteers. Good Job everyone! It was also great to run into our friends from the Criminal Justice Club there as well.

They did an awesome job!

Along with November, HSU received their new club t-shirts this week. After a couple examples of what the club’s vision for the t-shirts were, we were able to put a simple yet defining sample of who we are. We got some of the members to take a group photo as well.

We received a great donation towards our t-shirts from Long Cheng Marketplace. If you have time, please check them out, located on 1800 S Lawe St, Appleton, WI 54915.

It is a flea market style of shops and a few restaurants

inside. They serve authentic Asian comfort food along with bubble tea and fresh Banh Mi sandwiches.

Now for the main event….Eggrolls! Back by popular demand, we made an outstanding 950 eggrolls. After 2 days of preparing veggies, rolling, and cooking them, I can’t look at another eggroll! Well, I can eat them if you must, but I am eggrolled-out. All in all, it took a lot of hard work from everyone who was a part of the process. From hardworking members, helpful advisors, the Multicultural Student Services staff, Student Life Staff, the Culinary staff, along with the school and student body who ordered eggrolls to help us raise money, THANK YOU so much for all of it! It was worth it in the end. We raised double of our goal and we have so many plans for this upcoming year.

We all gained something special that day, provision. That no matter what we as HSU will have one another’s support within the club, for other clubs, and for those who have helped us in the moments that we needed it. Thank you once again.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

–Helen Keller

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Student Nurses Association

by Carrie Stankowski

The student nurses have been hard at work already this year volunteering and continuing to strive for academic success. We look forward to volunteer opportunities that provide medical assistance and propel our experience and education.

day. Teams from all over Wisconsin participated. The SNA handed out hats and gloves to the participants and also provided teaching about Healthy Habits for Cold Weather Safety. Other members also administered basic first aid and other medical assistance.

To begin the semester, we enjoyed the drive-in movie at the Appleton campus. We joined several other clubs to sell concessions. We sold out of water, glow sticks, and candy.

Afterwards, we savored some of the entertainment.

Among our education is the fourth semester students Medication Audit assignment. For this project, students were to determine if the medications a patient was prescribed were therapeutic. A lot of hard work and creativity was put forth to show our dedication to the approaching graduation. The future nurses presented their poster boards for professors in the commons.

We also volunteered at the Fox Cities Marathon providing medical assistance to the athletes. We provided first aid in the medical tent and at the finish line. We gave out ice packs and cleaned and covered abrasions. Many athletes were grateful to be assisted at the finish line with Mylar thermal emergency blankets and someone to lean on. Oral fluids were handed out to runners for rehydration. We were also prepared to start any intravenous fluids for severe dehydration. Race day was a huge success!

The Student Nurses Association continues to collect nonperishable food items for the campus food pantry. We have many tentative plans for the future of the Student Nurses Association. We look forward to providing medical assistance in our community and achieving success in our education.

The Special Olympics of Wisconsin Flag Football tournament was an amazing event on a cold and dreary

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International Exchange Club

by Josh Buckley

Josh Buckley – HI guys, my name is Josh, I am Co-President of the International Exchange Club. This is my third semester at Fox Valley Tech. I am originally from Gulfport Mississippi, I moved to Appleton in July of 2012 after graduating High School. My favorite thing about attending the tech is being able to meet new people and learn about cultures other than my own. I believe the International Exchange Club is perfect for doing that. I am hoping to get more American students to join and get to know some new International Students and make new lifetime friends. _________________________________________ Nahum Rangel – My name is Nahum Rangel, I am from México and I am living in Appleton, WI right now. I am twenty one years old, but, I am a weird combination between a teenage boy and an adult.

I am a college student attending Fox Valley Technical College, taking four subjects of my major in mechatronics and two English classes. In my free times I like to read, watch movies or series, and be with my friends making memories. My best friends are Cesar and Diana, but they are in México at this moment. I really love my family and I enjoy each moment with them. I think that my biggest treasure in the world are my parents, I want to make them proud of me and give back what I have received from them. I love my siblings and nephews too, they are so funny. My favorite kind of music are pop and electronic but I can dance whatever music that makes move my body.

I consider myself as a responsible and respectful person, but if I trust in someone I can be funny and a really good friend. One of my dreams is to travel to New York City. And I will do it. I am very interested in having a peaceful and happy life, that is what I want for me and my loved ones. _________________________________________ Ezilly Bezerra-My name is Ezilly Bezerra and I’m from Brazil. Back home my field of study is Foreign Trade but currently I’m a business management student at FVTC. I’m really happy to be part of the International Exchange Club as treasurer. I hope to help the club increasing its revenue. _________________________________________

Azhary Wali-Apa Kabar! My name Azhary Wali. I am from Indonesia, the biggest archipelago country in the world. I am studying IT at FVTC with a focus on database. I really love watching movies and reading books.

The quote of my life is “ Dream, Believe and Make It Happen”. If you can dream, believe that you can make your dreams come true. _________________________________________

No Photo Available

Azza Kacem-Hi there ! My Name is Azza. I come from Tunisia which is a beautiful Mediterranean country located just on the top of the African continent. Azza is an arabic name which refers to the baby of the doe or the deer. I am an exchange student who will be studying ITweb development and network administration at the Tech this year.

Although I haven’t been here for long, I am quite enjoying the surroundings and the cultural diversities. Also, I am very fortunate for already having many friends and meeting great people. Other than that, I am very fond of literature, arts and discovering other cultures. _________________________________________ Terence Edwards-Dumelang/ Sanibona, My name is Terrence Edwards, I am an international student from South Africa. My native language is IsiZulu. I come from a very small family, I have one big brother. I was born and raised in the city of Johannesburg. I am currently enrolled at Fox Valley Technical College in the IT program. I am passionate about technology and development because it has revolutionized our world. It is hard to imagine a world without any sort of technology. I’m greatly inspired by the leaders in the technology industry whose ideals reshaped the world. I’m doing Networking Administration because I believe Networking is the core component of technology.

Think about the internet! I can only hope that someday my name would be among those inspirational people.

Before I came to the US, I was working as a 2nd level engineer at Dimension Data, a leading multinational IT company focused on providing ground-breaking IT solutions for different industries. It was a great experience for me as it involved extensive travelling. I got to meet a lot of people from all walks of life and I had many

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opportunities to participate in IT conferences which broadened my knowledge. During my time at Dimension Data I was involved in a couple of leadership positions. The recent one being when I led a team that won the Microsoft Imagine Cup Challenge. In 2013 I was invited to participate in the prestigious Young African Leaders Initiative conference hosted by President Barack Obama. It was an amazing event, I met a lot of emerging young leaders and learnt a lot from each one of them. I was motivated to work even harder. Outside work I used to volunteer teaching senior high school students in my community. _________________________________________

One is for taking advantage of the resources, and the way the instructors teach classes. The second one is because other than American culture I have also got to learn other cultures from around the world such as Brazil, South Africa, Tunisia, Indonesia Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Russia, Germany, etc.. it is something I have been dreaming of since high school. I hope to make more friends before returning home and I also hope to visit my friends in their countries. Gracias! _________________________________________

Used with permission

Hola! I am Daniris Niz Coba from Colombia I was born and raised in the amazing city of Barranquilla, the same city as Shakira, Sofia Vergara, and Miss Universe 2015. My city also celebrates the second largest carnival in the world, after Rio de Janeiro. I won the scholarship to study one year in the United States, the government chose to place me in Appleton Wisconsin and I could not be happier. I am currently studying Business Management at FVTC, the tech is such an amazing college, where I have been learning so much about my field and also the wonderful American culture.

Being in the United States is more than a dream come true because of two main things.

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Submit comments or questions for Foxy at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com.

Dear Foxy,

Dear Foxy,

Do you have any special plans for the holidays?

Santa

I do not have a special someone to spend the holidays with.

I cannot seem to keep a relationship going, and I have had a lot of them. What is wrong with me?

Hi Santa!

Sad and Alone

I thought you told me I was on the forever naughty list?

Anyway, I do have some plans. I am going to lounge about for a week, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. Then I figure I will spend the next few weeks recovering from my lounging and hoping I am coherent enough for the beginning of the Spring semester. Sly and Slyette get angry with me when I come to school not at my best.

Dear Foxy, Is it acceptable to listen to Christmas music before Christmas? I love Christmas music year around!

Holiday Hannah Hi Hannah,

Hi Sad, Good thing you contacted the Foxylicious one! I am the love guru. The very first thing that anyone needs to do is to believe in themselves. Get to know yourself first. Spend some alone time and really find out what makes YOU tick.

Learn to accept and love yourself, then you can approach a relationship with an open mind and heart. Believe that you deserve to be treated well, do not accept poor treatment. Do not accept abuse of any kind, verbal, mental, or physical. Do not latch onto the very first person that will have you either.

Understand and believe (that is incredibly important) that you are worth care and love. Then, and only then can you be capable of finding a true significant other.

No… No… Just no. Christmas music is acceptable on Christmas Eve, from 6:00 PM until the children go to bed at 8:00 PM. After that, Christmas music gets put away again until the following year. Under no circumstances whatsoever should Christmas music be being played before Thanksgiving, and never, never, ever, ever should it be played before Halloween.

Random Questions November questions and answers 1. What are you most thankful for?

• Family • Friends • Money • Good Looks • Intelligence • Sense of Humor Answers: 2 Family, 1 Good Looks

3. Will you be participating in the Black Friday festivities this year?

• Yes • No Answers: 3 No 4. National Novel Writing Month is November.

(NaNoWriMo)Will you be gracing the world with your prose?

• Yes, J.K. Rowling should fear me!

• No, E.L. James is a better writer than I am.

• Maybe, if Stephanie Meyer can do it…

2. What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Answers: A super long weekend., Turkey., and Thanksgiving is a great time to reconnect with family and friends. It is also a good time to share with those that are less fortunate.

Answers: 2 No, EL James is a better writer than I am., 1 Maybe if Stephanie Meyer can do it…

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You can purchase these items at Chef Jeffs’s office, Connections Cafe or in the Commons at the Culinary table in December.

Small, 7.3 oz. bottles $6.00 per bottle

Cookbooks $20.00 a piece

Large, 14.6 oz. bottles $9.00 per bottle

Bundle Cookbook plus 2 small, 7.3 oz. bottles $25.00 per bundle FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 13

Cheers

Jeers

Cheers to the holiday season now upon us! Turkey, stuffing, ham, cookies, candy canes, and all of the yummy stuff that comes along with the season.

Cheers to all of the December 2015 graduates!

Congratulations!

Cheers to Mother Nature for keeping us snow free so far!

Thank you!

Jeers to any and every one that thinks a gun is the answer to their problems. So many mass shootings, so much death. Zero reason for it.

Jeers to Donald Trump for my gosh, I can’t keep up with all of the reasons.

Jeers to the media in how they handle just about anything today. Whatever happened to journalistic integrity and simple honesty?

If you wish to submit a cheer or jeer, send an email to fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com with cheers and jeers in the subject line.

14 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

An FVTC and Goodwill/FISC Partnership

Want financial

peace of mind?

Discover options to make your money go further!

Many responsible students go through financial challenges. We can help you make informed decisions and take control of your finances. It’s confidential and free. Get assistance with: • budgeting • using credit wisely • managing debt • credit reports We offer a variety of services to meet the individual needs of each student. Options include one-on-one counseling and regularly scheduled group workshops. Feel free to call or stop by Room E121 at FVTC’s Appleton Campus if you have a question or would like to schedule an appointment.

Located at: Fox Valley Technical College Counseling Services — Room E121 1825 N. Bluemound Drive, Appleton (920) 735-4855 Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday

www.fvtc.edu/financialwellness

The Workshops: “Build and Keep a Good Credit Score” Your credit score affects your interest rate on loans, your insurance premiums, and even your ability to secure some jobs. This workshop takes the mystery out of credit scores.

“Planning for Financial Freedom” A budget is a proven way to help you gain control over money, manage debt, and meet monthly expenses. This workshop explains how to build a practical budget that really works.

“Credit Tricks and Traps” Used wisely, credit can help us live richer lives. But if we overuse credit, debt can build up and feel unmanageable.

This workshop explains, how to make credit work for you, avoid credit traps, and reduce debt.

To register, call (920) 735-4855 or stop in Counseling Services.

The FISC Counselor helps you:

• Understand financial options open to you • Reduce financial stress • Develoop a plan to make the most of your money • Manage debt and use credit wisely

.............................................................

Supported by a grant from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

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16 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

Pheasant Under Glass

by Brenda Winkler

Ingredients: *1-2 Pheasants- skinned, to reduce amount of grease 1 Large red delicious apple, chopped 1 Large onion (yellow or white), chopped 1 -10 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup condensed 1 -10 oz. can Cream of Mushroom soup condensed 1 Cup water ½ pkg. powdered instant chicken gravy mix ½ pkg. dried onion soup mix 2 Tbs. cornstarch Salt and pepper (optional) Instructions: 1) Mix chopped apple and onion together and stuff into bird’s cavity. Salt and pepper outside of bird if desired and place bird into crock pot.

2) In a sauce pan, mix together both cans of soup (can be 2 of the same type of soup), water and stir over medium heat to make a sauce. Pour sauce over birds.

3) Sprinkle ½ pkg. each of gravy mix and onion soup mix over the bird. Place lid on crock pot and cook on high a minimum of 4 hours. This is why it’s called “under glass”.

4) Remove bird from crock pot and drain juices back into crock pot. Mix cornstarch with 1 cup of cold water and add to sauce/juices in crock pot to make a thick gravy.

Apple Rose

*Cornish game hens (2-4) may be substituted for pheasant(s) depending on the size of your crock pot and birds. Rule is 1 bird per person and my small crock pot can hold 2-3 hens.

This has been our family’s Thanksgiving tradition for many years since none of us likes the standard turkey. This meal also pairs well with my homemade bread and White Merlot wine.

makes 12 apple roses

Ingredients: 3 apples 2 sheets of puffed pastries, thawed 6 Tablespoons of apricot preserves 3 Tablespoons of water Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice Cinnamon Sugar Instructions: 1) Remove puffed pastries from freezer and thaw according to package 2) Slice the apples in half from top to bottom. Remove the core ends and then scoop out the core in the center. Slice the apples into very thin slices 3) Fill a medium sized bowl half full of water and squeeze the lemon juice into the water. Place the sliced apples in the water and microwave for 5 minutes until slightly tender.

Drain the apples into a colander.

4) Mix the apricot preserves and water together in a bowl.

5) When pastries are thawed, place them flat on a floured surface. Roll the pastries out with a rolling pin then flatten just a little more. Cut each pastry into 6 equal slices.

6) One at a time, spoon apricot preserve mixture onto a slice of pastry.

7) Place 7-9 apple slices along one half of the pastry slice with the peel side facing out. Fold the pastry in half to cover the apples. Starting on one end, roll the pastry and

apples to the other end of the pastry. Place in a muffin tin.

Continue with the other pieces of pastries until you have 12 apple roses.

8) Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. (I mix 1 TBSP cinnamon to 3TBSP of sugar) 9) Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of oven so the bottom of pastries do not burn. Bake at 375 for 40 -45 minutes. Top with a little powdered sugar if desired as well.

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History of the Mayflower

by Brenda Winkler

Every school child knows about the long journey the Pilgrims made on the Mayflower in 1620, but how many of us know the real history of this famous trek to America.

Initially, the Mayflower’s sister ship, the Speedwell, was to make the voyage also, but this ship proved to be more reminiscent of the Titanic so Mayflower sailed solo.

Leaving the docks of Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620 was a ship measuring 25’ wide by nearly 110’ long and weighing 180 gross tons. The Mayflower was constructed to be a freight vessel, but on this day her precious cargo would be 26 crewmen and 102 passengers (51 men, 20 women, 21 boys, and 10 girls) ranging in age from a newborn boy named Oceanus to 64 years young. The passengers occupied the lower deck which was 5 ½’ from floor to ceiling (plenty of head clearance for this gal) and the only property they brought were the chests and boxes of personal items.

The original destination was Hudson River in New York state (not the state of Virginia), but due to frequent storms and lack of modern navigation systems they only made it as far as Cape Cod, a total journey of 2,750 miles in 66 days which averaged less than 2 miles per hour. On November 11, 1620, the Pilgrims spent their first winter inside the Mayflower, until a colony could be constructed, which would be the last winter for many. Disease and

illness spread through the Mayflower and by the spring only 53 of the original passengers and half the crew survived to see Mayflower set sail back home on April 5, 1621. Contrary to popular belief, the Pilgrims didn’t invent our traditional “Thanksgiving” nor did they break bread with the indigenous Wampanoag Indians of the area. Our holiday developed slowly over many years starting in 1846, initiated by Sarah Josepha Hale, author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.

Thankfully, the colony prospered to more than 3,000 within the next 70 years and today there is an estimated 35 million plus direct descendants from the Mayflower immigrants which include former presidents John Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and Clint Eastwood.

I encourage you to check out the reference web site for additional facts and myths and videos on the Mayflower and Thanksgiving.

Reference: Mayflower Myths. (2009). Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/ mayflower-myths/print

18 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

We’re on a Mission to...

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Community First looks out for me, whether it’s my auto loan, checking or my credit card!”

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Saving money is about so much more than dollars and cents - it’s about making a difference in people’s lives.

Whether you’re a student or employee, every day brings choices about how to save, spend and use credit wisely – choices we can help you make to shape your financial future.

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Visit our full service branch on FVTC Appleton campus at Entrance 10

APPLETON 2626 S. Oneida St. 509 N. Richmond St. 2701 N. Ballard Rd. 455 S. Nicolet Rd. 1235 W. Spencer St. DARBOY W6089 Cty. Rd. KK KIMBERLY 600 W. Kimberly Ave.

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My Fitness Journey Holiday Edition

by Rich Weber

Here we are riding into the end of the semester and the full swing of the holidays. Have I been behaving myself?

Yes, but with a disclaimer. I have been good far more than I have been naughty. This alone is a huge improvement for me, even though in my mind it still isn’t good enough.

Have I been in the wellness center as often as I planned?

Gosh no. My schedule has been ridiculous. On top of that, I re-injured my back somehow. The pinched nerves that have been giving me fits the past 2 years have been angered and are making it virtually impossible for me to sit/stand/walk let alone workout. If you happen to see me hobbling along, that is why. If you also happen to see me sobbing in pain, please pretend to not notice so I can retain some semblance of my hardcore badass image.

I can count on two hands how many sodas I have had this semester. I have a few weeks without one, then I fall off the wagon for one can or bottle of that sweet, sweet, nectar, Pepsi. In the past I had written odes to Pepsi and its wonderful taste. I understand that you can clean rusty bolts and clear drains with it, it just tastes so yummy.

I did not get a chance to get weighed in by Brandy. The plan is to weigh in sometime in the next week, and it will be updated in the next issue.

The struggle will continue on, and I will continue to battle my soda demons and my treacherous back. Et tu L4 nerve?

Have a great holiday and be safe. See you next semester.

20 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

Foxy gets a taste of the new orange

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22 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

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Faces of FVTC 24 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

What Makes You Different from Other Graduates?

We can help you develop skills that will change how you view the world. The educational experiences we offer will prepare you for today’s global workforce. We help develop skills to give you a competitive advantage in your career or career search. ¿Hablas español?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Czy mówisz po polsku?

Travel with FVTC to Ireland, Panama, Jamaica, and Germany

Earn elective credits as you expand your world view and immerse yourself in study abroad, or language immersion programs. Choose from 8-14 day programs or longer. For more information, contact Aaron Gorenc: gorenc@fvtc.edu.

NEW Certificate — Intercultural Relations — By earning this certificate, you will

develop intercultural skills – a demand in today’s global business environment. Explore the impact of culture on work behavior, and advance your knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

Parlez vous français?

日本語が話せますか。

Did you know that FVTC offers 12 world languages and you can earn elective credit? Find our spring 2016 schedule at: www.fvtc.edu/Global (Some online language options are also available.)

Você fala português?

Вы говорите по-русски?

Experience the World with Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/Global Contact us: Globaled@fvtc.edu | 920-735-4810 | G130 Follow us on Twitter: @FVTCGlobalEd

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Cole Monka/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Frank Michna buys bottled water for drinking and cooking in his Caledonia home because of high levels of molybdenum and boron in his well.

FAILURE AT THE FAUCET

Safe, clean drinking water eludes many Wisconsinites

Lax enforcement, outdated rules and numerous substances — natural and manmade — threaten drinking water for hundreds of thousands of state residents

By Ron Seely

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism In this place, hundreds of thousands of people face the specter of drinking water from wells that is unsafe, tainted by one or more contaminants such as arsenic or nitrate.

country. She suspects the problem is related to the county’s proliferation of large livestock operations, although testing did not pinpoint the source.

In this place, for some, even brushing their teeth or cooking a meal can give pause because of the risk of lead from aging water pipes. The dangers to children, often more susceptible to pollutants than adults, and even pets and livestock, cause nagging fear.

“Realize that we can’t drink, brush our teeth, wash dishes, wash food; we can’t use our water,” Cochart wrote in a letter last year to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeking intervention in the county’s drinking water problems.

Surely, this place — on a planet where the United Nations estimates 783 million people lack access to safe drinking water — lies in a distant nation.

“Our water is on our mind all the time. If drinking it doesn’t kill us, the stress of having it on our mind and worrying about it all the time will.”

But this polluted water is right here. In many parts of Wisconsin. In a state whose very name evokes the image of lakes and rivers and clean, cool, abundant water.

Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin’s 5.8 million residents are at risk of consuming drinking water tainted with substances including lead, nitrate, disease-causing bacteria and viruses, naturally occurring heavy metals and other contaminants, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has found.

Lynda Cochart’s water from her private well was so poisoned by salmonella, nitrate, E. coli and manure-borne viruses that one researcher compared the results from her Kewaunee County farm to contamination in a Third World

The problem persists, and in some areas is worsening,

26 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

What’s in our drinking water?

Examples of contaminants across Wisconsin

Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents face the specter of unsafe drinking water. An estimated 1.7 million people drink from unregulated private wells — nearly half of which, studies suggest, have one or more contaminants at levels above health standards. Tens of thousands of residents drink water from systems that do not treat it for possible disease-causing viruses.

Bacteria

Bacterial contamination can be found in water across the state. In one study, 18 percent of private wells had bacteria, indicating possible disease-causing organisms.

Nitrate

Nitrate levels are too high in wells used by about 94,000 households. Agricultural areas and those with porous bedrock or sandy soil are most susceptible to nitrate contamination.

Badger Army Ammunition

This former manufacturing plant has left a legacy of polluted groundwater.

The U.S. Army will soon build a municipal water system for nearly 400 homes in the area.

Arsenic is a widespread concern in Outagamie and Winnebago counties, where the state established an arsenic advisory area in 1993 and introduced stricter regulation in 2004.

Radium

Waukesha has made a bid to tap into Lake Michigan for its drinking water because it continues to find spikes of radium in its wells. Dozens of community water systems have exceeded the federal health limit for the radioactive element in recent years.

Atrazine

The pesticide atrazine is found at high levels in drinking water in some parts of Wisconsin, prompting officials to create atrazine prohibition areas. Most of Dane County is in a prohibition area.

Arsenic

Lead

In the Jefferson County community of Lake Mills, 10 percent of home tap water tested for lead exceeded the federal health level of 15 parts per billion over five years; the highest level was 2,000 ppb. There are at least 176,000 lead pipes in communities across the state.

Molybdenum

Unsafe levels of molybdenum were found in 200 of 1,000 private wells tested in southeastern Wisconsin.

One environmental group believes the contamination may be linked to reused coal ash from power plants.

CREDIT: Katie Kowalsky/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism SOURCES: "Private drinking water quality in rural Wisconsin," Journal of Environmental Health, 2013; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, draft technical review for Waukesha's proposed diversion of Great Lakes water, 2015; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resourses’ Drinking Water Database; Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection website, atrazine prohibition areas; town of Merrimac administrator Tim McCumber.

because of flawed agricultural practices, development patterns that damage water quality, geologic deposits of harmful chemicals, porous karst and sand landscapes, lack of regulation of the private wells serving an estimated 1.7 million people, and breakdowns in state and federal systems intended to safeguard water quality.

Studies show an increasing number of residents using private wells around the state are drinking unsafe levels of nitrate — most of it from fertilizer, manure or septic systems — which can be fatal to infants and has been linked to birth defects.

Tens of thousands of people living in homes in Milwaukee, Wausau and other cities with aging water pipes and fixtures may be exposed to lead, which can cause brain damage in children. Homes built before 1950 are likely to have lead pipes, according to the DNR. Those built before 1984 also could have lead in their fixtures or lead solder on pipes, the agency said.

The Center found that in many cases, residents are on their own when it comes to safeguarding their drinking water.

Private well owners are not required to test their water, and only 16 percent do so annually, although 47 percent of private wells are estimated to be contaminated by one continued on next page

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 27

or more pollutants at levels above health standards.

One-third of respondents to a 2008-09 state health survey said they had never tested their wells.

Even consumers of some municipal water should be wary. In 2009, after researchers found viruses in public water supplies, the state began requiring disinfection. In 2011, the Legislature rescinded the rule, with its sponsor, Rep. Erik Severson, R-Star Prairie, calling it “an unnecessary and financial bureaucratic burden.”

Judge Jeffrey Boldt, while granting a large farm’s permit to expand its herd beyond 4,000 cows, ordered the DNR to take several steps, including requiring Kinnard Farms to conduct off-site well testing and cap the number of cows based on “limits that are necessary to protect groundwater and surface waters.”

Bridgit Bowden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Dave Marshall, a former Department of Natural Resources scientist from Barneveld, holds upa sample from the Wisconsin River, which

As of October, the agency was refusing to comply with those two requirements, saying it lacked the legal authority to impose them.

In the absence of rigorous enforcement, the Center In 2012, researchers found, residents can begin of 16 Wisconsin residents who have filed a petition with the U.S. definitively linked the safeguarding their water by Environmental Protection Agency asking for the state DNR’s authority presence of the viruses in using methods including to administer part of the Clean Water Act to be revoked if it does not 14 Wisconsin municipal having their private wells correct deficiencies. water systems to acute tested for contaminants gastrointestinal illness. More than 73,000 people use common in their areas or using safer practices when it water provided by 60 municipal water systems that do not comes to using water from aging lead pipes. Filters and disinfect, according to DNR figures. water conditioners also can remove some harmful elements from drinking water.

Last month, Doug and Sherryl Jones, of Spring Green, and Dave Marshall, a former Department of Natural Resources But environmental advocates say state and federal researcher from Barneveld who studied aquatic organisms, lawmakers and regulators must do more to ensure the were among 16 Wisconsin residents who petitioned the EPA safety of Wisconsin’s drinking water. to revoke Wisconsin’s authority to issue pollution discharge Residents “think the government is protecting their water,” permits under the Clean Water Act if the DNR does not Wright said. “It’s not.” correct deficiencies. he said is polluted by nitrate. Some of his neighbors’ wells also

are contaminated with unsafe levels of nitrate. Marshall is one

The discharge permits are a key mechanism by which Wisconsin limits pollutants, including manure from large farms, that reach the sources of Wisconsin’s drinking water. Both the Joneses and Marshall cited unsafe levels of nitrates in drinking water wells in the Lower Wisconsin River Valley.

Kimberlee Wright, executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, the Madison law firm representing the residents, said Wisconsin lacks an adequate regulatory program to protect water, including what flows from residents’ taps.

DNR spokesman Jim Dick countered that the DNR “takes its responsibility to protect Wisconsin’s waters seriously and does enforce the Clean Water Act. We are working within the confines of current state and federal laws and rules to do just that.” He declined to make any DNR officials available to discuss the Center’s findings.

Environmentalists are not the only critics of Wisconsin’s approach to safeguarding water.

Last year, an administrative law judge accused the DNR of “massive regulatory failure” for failing to prevent widespread contamination in the private wells used by Kewaunee County residents living near large dairy farms.

Problems are statewide Over the past year, the Center examined the state of Wisconsin’s drinking water. Major findings include: • Lead, dangerous especially to children’s brain development, is a threat in a projected 6,000 homes with lead pipes on municipal water systems, according to EPA estimates. And as many as 16,920 of the state’s 940,000 rural households on private wells also could be exposed to unhealthy lead levels, most likely from plumbing, according to a study by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Officials from the EPA and DNR have publicly acknowledged current federal regulations fail to protect against dangerous levels of lead in water.

• Nitrate exceeds safe levels in the private wells of an estimated 94,000 Wisconsin households, according to state estimates. Despite these dangers, the law carves out a regulatory loophole so that private well owners with nitrate levels that could kill infants cannot qualify for financial assistance to get their wells replaced — unless the wells are used to water livestock.

• Pesticides, some of which are linked with health issues ranging from cancer to reproductive problems, are present in one-third of the state’s private wells tested, according to the state’s 2014 Groundwater Coordinating

28 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

Council report to the state Legislature. Tests for According to the petition filed with the EPA last month, the herbicide atrazine, for example, showed 440 of “water quality issues permeate throughout Wisconsin and 5,500 wells tested had levels above the EPA’s health are not confined to a particular area of the state. Petitioners enforcement standard. have arrived at a conclusion that the status of the state’s • A 2013 Department of Health Services study of 3,868 water quality warrants wide-sweeping change.” private wells statewide showed 2.4 percent of them Exposure to contaminants large exceeded the safe drinking water standards for arsenic The number of people exposed to contaminated tap water of 10 parts per billion. Applied to all of the state’s private is hard to come by because most studies involve a single wells — a method endorsed by the study’s lead author — pollutant or region where drinking water is threatened. But that percentage means residents in some 22,560 homes when those pollutants and affected regions are looked at in may be consuming unsafe levels of arsenic, which has total, the sum of people affected escalates. been linked to cancer, diabetes, lower IQ and other illnesses.

For example, statewide • That same study, sampling of 3,868 private published in the Journal wells by state public health of Environmental Health, researchers found 47 percent found an indicator of of the tested wells had one or possible disease-causing more contaminants at levels organisms such as E. coli exceeding health-based or viruses in 18 percent water quality standards. of the 3,868 private wells tested statewide between Lynda Knobeloch, the lead 2007 and 2010. author of the paper and • Wisconsin’s private who is now retired from her wells have some of the position as a researcher with highest levels in the the Wisconsin Department United States of the of Health Services, said heavy metal strontium, she was surprised at the Kate Golden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism which is suspected of percentage of contaminated causing rickets and bone The city of Milwaukee is considered a national leader in testing for wells detected in the study. deformities in infants contaminants in its drinking water. But thousands of Milwaukee Researchers tested for and children, according children are diagnosed each year with lead poisoning, which some coliform bacteria, fluoride, to the EPA. The naturally researchers say could be at least partially due to drinking water nitrate and a panel of 13 occurring contaminant, tainted with lead. The compound, which can cause brain damage, can metals. The researchers which is currently leach from aging lead pipes. City officials say they find very little lead did not test for other unregulated, was found by in Milwaukee’s water, but critics say the federal sampling protocols contaminants, including a University of Wisconsin- routinely miss dangerous levels of the metal. pesticides, believed to be in Green Bay researcher thousands of wells. at unsafe levels in 73 out of 114, or 64 percent, of well water samples in Brown, Calumet and Outagamie “Since an estimated 940,000 Wisconsin households, counties, where the local geology has been linked to the including more than 300,000 children, drink water from presence of strontium. a private well, the finding that nearly half of the wells are • Tests of municipal wells in 42 communities for radium, unsafe is a major public health concern,” the researchers a naturally occurring contaminant linked to health wrote in their study, published in 2013. problems including cancer, exceeded federal safety Municipal water systems fare much better than private limits in 2006. As of June, two dozen communities wells, partly because they are heavily regulated under the continued to exceed the EPA’s maximum contaminant federal Safe Drinking Water Act and must test for a broad level for radium, which is found at higher levels the range of contaminants. deeper communities drill down for water. Waukesha continues to find spikes in its water and has made a In 2014, according to the DNR’s annual report on public controversial, internationally watched bid to become the drinking water systems, 95.5 percent, or 10,904 systems first community outside the Great Lakes watershed to out of 11,420, met all health-based standards for regulated draw its water from Lake Michigan. contaminants.

• Unsafe levels of molybdenum, a naturally occurring metal that can cause joint, gastrointestinal, liver Ken Bradbury, director of the Wisconsin Geological and and kidney problems, were found in 200 of 1,000 Natural History Survey, said the aquifers from which private wells tested in southeastern Wisconsin by the most municipalities and all private well owners draw their environmental group Clean Wisconsin in 2014. The drinking water are by and large a clean and plentiful source organization found that the severity of contamination of water. But he added a caveat. increased the closer wells were to sites with recycled coal ash from power plants. The DNR said the data are “We have this wonderful resource we take for granted,” insufficient to link the contaminants to coal ash.

Bradbury said. “And we don’t respect it enough.” continued on next page

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 29

insufficient oversight of water use.

About 10 years ago, Bradley Burmeister’s family in Outagamie County had its private well tested for arsenic as part of a high school class project.

The results were shocking: Arsenic levels were 165 times higher than the federal health standard. Ever since, the Burmeisters have been buying bottled water by the case from the grocery store.

Tests by the DNR in the 1990s of nearly 2,000 private wells in northeastern Wisconsin showed nearly 20 percent of them exceeded the health standards for arsenic.

Chuck Wagner Yellow-brown well water used to come from the tap in the home of Chuck Wagner, who lives in rural Luxemburg in Kewaunee County.

He said testing linked the contamination to cattle manure. It cost him $10,000 to drill a new well free of contaminants.

Natural threats made worse by man Among the culprits in Wisconsin’s drinking water are natural contaminants such as arsenic and radium. And although they are naturally occurring, their presence in drinking water is often made worse by the drawdown of aquifers that comes with sprawling population growth and

Some wells that once tested negative for arsenic may now be tainted because of drawdown, according to John Luczaj, a groundwater expert at UW-Green Bay. Patrick Laughrin, who lives in the Calumet County community of Hilbert, said arsenic began showing up in his well after a large dairy operation nearby drilled highcapacity wells.

Another natural contaminant, radium, has begun to show up in the water systems of communities such as Sussex in Waukesha County, which is part of eastern Wisconsin’s “radium belt.” The radioactive substance is more prevalent the deeper communities drill into a depleted aquifer.

Evan Siegle / Green Bay Press-Gazette Media A large lagoon holds manure on the Kinnard Farms in Kewaunee County. Last year, an administrative law judge accused the DNR of “massive regulatory failure” for failing to prevent widespread contamination in the private water wells used by Kewaunee County residents living near large dairy farms.

30 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | HOLIDAY 2015 – 2016

Rules improve water quality Not all the news is bad.

The federal Clean Water Act was passed 40 years ago, and Wisconsin’s waters — especially its lakes and rivers — saw tremendous improvements in quality as point sources of pollution coming from industries were cleaned up.

According to the DNR, since the passage of the federal law, Fox River paper mills cut pollution from 425,000 to 22,000 pounds of solids a day. Milwaukee went from an estimated 60 combined sewer overflows a year to 2.5.

Phosphorus pollution from point sources such as factories and municipalities has been cut by 67 percent since 1994, according to the agency.

Jill Jonas, head of the DNR’s Drinking and Groundwater program, called Wisconsin’s efforts to ensure clean drinking water for the state a “tremendous success story.”

One hundred years ago, she noted, Wisconsin’s State Board of Health recorded 105 cases of waterborne typhoid fever for every 100,000 people. Today, such illnesses are rare, with about 400 cases nationwide each year — and more than two-thirds of them are acquired during international travel.

Things also are looking up for neighbors of the defunct Badger Army Ammunition Plant after years of agitating by citizens for clean water. Residents there have been drinking bottled water because of private wells contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and other contaminants, byproducts of manufacturing explosives for World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Town of Merrimac resident Gene Franks described living with “gnawing doubt” about the safety of his drinking water. But soon Franks’ home will be among the nearly 400 households in this scenic area south of Baraboo to get a municipal supply of water — courtesy of the U.S. Army.

Some regulation lax, full of loopholes Despite the sometimes dramatic improvements in overall water quality, activists contend the state has gone backwards in recent years when it comes to enforcement of clean-water laws.

In 2011, the EPA identified 75 failings in the DNR’s enforcement of the state’s wastewater pollution permit program. Last month, after the residents’ petition was filed, the state agency announced it is working on two rule packages that will address 21 of the issues. The agency said it has resolved 36 of the issues and is working on more rule changes that will solve the 18 remaining problems.

File photo / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Manure from dairy cattle is one of the culprits in both nitrate and bacteriological contamination of drinking water in Wisconsin.

Although municipal water is regularly checked for bacteria and nitrate, homeowners using private wells are responsible for testing the safety of their water.

The petitioners claim Wisconsin now lacks the staff to adequately inspect and manage permits for wastewater sources, including large farms, municipalities and industries. EPA estimates show two-thirds of such facilities in Wisconsin are operating with expired waste discharge permits — the third worst rate in the nation.

Recent reorganization at the agency by Gov. Scott Walker “raises even more doubt” about its ability to carry out its duties under the Clean Water Act, according to the petition.

One of those changes is eliminating a separate water division and consolidating both water and air pollution under a Business Support and External Services Division.

“The governor and state Legislature have starved the DNR’s power and robbed the agency’s experienced staff of professional autonomy to make informed decisions,” Wright said in a statement, adding, “Without effective government, we are compounding what our children and grandchildren will face in a world increasingly short of drinking water.”

Portions of the series were produced in collaboration with journalism classes participating in The Confluence, a project involving the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the journalism school. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

“Our state has historically been, and continues to be, a leader in many water-related areas,” DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said in a news release.

But the residents’ petition said the agency’s actions to resolve deficiencies represent a “lack of meaningful response.” The petition also charged that the agency’s authority and staff have been whittled away, citing the loss of 600 positions in the past 20 years.

Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events.

Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 31

Erik Daily/La Crosse Tribune Land use is a factor boosting the level of nitrate in the water in Wisconsin. In the Upper Midwest, millions of acres of grassland — which leaches little nitrogen into aquifers — have been converted into fields of corn, soy and other crops since 2008, according to University of WisconsinMadison researchers. Here, a farmer harvests corn near Blair in Trempealeau County.

FAILURE AT THE FAUCET

Nitrate in water widespread, current rules no match for it

While nitrate contamination increases, experts say state’s main approach unlikely to protect drinking water

By Kate Golden

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Born a month early in the spring of 1999, Case 8 had been thriving on formula. But at three weeks old, when her family ran out of bottled water and started using boiled water from the household well at the dairy farm where they lived, she got sick.

She was just 4 pounds, 10 ounces, when her parents brought her to a Grant County emergency room. Cold, pale and “extremely blue,” she was rushed by helicopter to a regional intensive care unit.

Nearly all of her red blood cells had lost the ability to carry oxygen, according to medical records Wisconsin public health officials summarized in the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

Two days after she fell ill with methaemoglobinaemia, or “blue baby syndrome,” water tests turned up the most likely culprit — high levels of nitrate.

According to state estimates, nitrate is at unsafe levels in an estimated 94,000 Wisconsin households. One in five wells in heavily agricultural areas is now too polluted with nitrate for safe drinking, according to data from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

And public water systems recorded 57 violations of healthbased standards for nitrate in 2014. Those systems were required to post notices, provide bottled water, replace wells, install treatment or take other corrective actions to reduce nitrate. More than 120 of the 11,420 systems failed either to monitor or report nitrate levels.

“Nitrate that approaches and exceeds unsafe levels in drinking water is one of the top drinking water contaminants in Wisconsin, posing an acute risk to infants and women who are pregnant, a possible risk to the developing fetus during very early stages of pregnancy, and

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continued on next page

a chronic risk of serious disease in adults,” according to the 2015 Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council report to the Legislature.

their water, especially if they have a baby. But over the past four decades, the contamination has been worsening in extent and severity.

The multi-agency council also reported that nitrate — one of the most pervasive groundwater contaminants in Wisconsin — is “increasing in extent and severity.”

Among those with water contaminated by nitrate are Sherryl and Doug Jones of rural Spring Green.

Despite the signs of trouble, Wisconsin’s most recent indepth look at blue baby syndrome is more than a decade old.

State health officials identified eight cases in the 1990s. All recovered — including Case 8, who was released from the hospital after 17 days. Generally, a baby can recover in one or two days once given clean water.

New studies have suggested even the current health standard for nitrate may be too high.

Yet blue baby syndrome is rare. That is probably because private well owners have been warned for decades to test

About eight years ago, water from their private well tested at 20 milligrams of nitrate per liter of water — twice the health limit. Sherryl Jones said the couple initially switched to bottled water and, since 2012, they have been using a reverse osmosis system to remove nitrate at a cost of about $25 a month. Reverse osmosis removes nitrate and other contaminants by using high pressure to push water through a semipermeable membrane.

“We had children, we had babies in our house, we had a pregnant daughter, we had pregnant daughters-in-law.

What was this (water) doing? There was no way we could let them drink this water,” Sherryl Jones recalled.

Nitrate in drinking water around Wisconsin Nitrate levels are too high in wells used by an estimated 94,000 Wisconsin households that have private water wells. Agricultural areas and those with porous bedrock or sandy soil are most susceptible to nitrate contamination.

It comes from fertilizers, including manure, and other sources.

Average amount of nitrate detected by township (in milligrams per liter). The maximum amount allowed by health standards is 10 mg/l.

0 - 2.0 2.1 - 5.0 5.1 - 10.0 10.1 - 20.0 No Data Available CREDIT: Katie Kowalsky/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism SOURCE: Well Water Quality Viewer, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education. Private Drinking Water Quality in Rural Wisconsin, Journal of Environmental Health, 2013.

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Debra Sisk / University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Ian Torkelson runs a test for the presence of nitrate and phosphorous in water at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education. Nitrate from fertilizers, including animal manure, and human waste has polluted numerous wells in Wisconsin.

Jones said she urged neighbors to get their water tested, too. The result: Some of them had been drinking water with four times the health limit of nitrate. In fact, testing by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education found 31 percent of the private well samples collected in the Spring Green area had nitrate levels above the health standard.

Sherryl Jones said the DNR never warned them about high nitrate levels in the beautiful area along the Wisconsin River where they built their dream home. State officials have been studying dangerous nitrate levels private water wells in the Lower Wisconsin River Valley at least since the early 1990s.

“They’ve known about it. Now, what have they done?” she said. “They haven’t even educated the residents of this area.”

Rules no match for nitrate At least 90 percent of nitrate inputs into groundwater come from artificial fertilizers and manure from farming operations, according to the 2015 report of the Groundwater Coordinating Council. Nitrate in drinking water systems is increasing, the council found, and “current

management activities to limit nitrate pollution have questionable effectiveness.”

In addition to blue baby syndrome, researchers are studying other possible health effects from nitrate in drinking water, including several cancers, thyroid problems, birth defects and diabetes. Nitrate can convert to compounds that are “some of the strongest known carcinogens,” according to the state groundwater council.

Nutrient management plans are the state’s main tool for addressing the problem. They help farmers apply nitrogen and phosphorus at the right rate to keep nutrients out of surface and groundwater. “(But) nutrient management plans clearly don’t protect groundwater if we mean anything close to maintaining the drinking water standard,” said George Kraft, a professor of water resources at UW-Stevens Point who is the governor’s representative to the council.

Last year, the groundwater council made protecting groundwater from nitrate and other agricultural contaminants one of three top-priority recommendations for the state.

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The state DNR, which is responsible for protecting groundwater, declined to provide anyone for an interview with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism about nitrate in Wisconsin’s drinking water. Former agency spokesman Bill Cosh also refused to answer questions about what strategy DNR was pursuing to reduce nitrate, directing a reporter instead to previously published reports.

But DNR drinking water chief Jill Jonas acknowledged at a 2014 scientific conference on nitrogen’s environmental impacts held in Madison that Wisconsin has “a worsening problem that we need to tackle.”

In October, 16 Wisconsin residents, including the Joneses of rural Spring Green, filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seeking to force the DNR to correct deficiencies in its enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act. The petitioners allege DNR has failed to adequately protect ground and surface waters that provide drinking water to the state. The agency has responded by saying it takes its responsibilities under the law seriously.

As bad as it is now, Wisconsin’s groundwater nitrate contamination overall is likely to increase long before it stabilizes, Kraft and other groundwater experts said, due to the lag time between when nitrogen is applied to the surface and when it reaches the water.

A team of researchers led by the EPA estimated in 2008 that agricultural nitrate may cost the nation $157 billion per year. Nitrate’s direct damage to drinking water supplies was estimated at $19 billion, with some of the greatest costs borne by Upper Midwest states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

Much of the cost was attributed to a projected increase in colon cancer among those drinking contaminated water.

Jonas told the scientific conference last year that the costs of testing and treatment to remove nitrate pollution are growing statewide, “and it certainly is unsustainable.”

Dairy’s role scrutinized In a handful of recent court cases, nitrate pollution has come front and center as rural residents have challenged large livestock operations. A Wisconsin judge in 2014 cited Kewaunee County’s widespread pollution of drinking water by nitrate and bacteria as evidence of “massive regulatory failure” by both federal and state agencies — a view that the DNR refutes.

Some residents there have pointed to the large dairy farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations, as the most likely culprits for their polluted water. They have filed a separate petition asking the EPA to provide them with emergency safe drinking water and to investigate the sources of the nitrate pollution. Many also want tighter regulation of the dairies to protect the area’s vulnerable karst topography, where aquifers lie underneath shallow bedrock filled with cracks and holes.

In a case that all sides agree could set a national model, a federal judge in Washington state in May sided with

Kate Golden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Manure from dairy operations is blamed in part for nitrate that pollutes the drinking water in some parts of Wisconsin.

environmental groups in ruling that several large Yakima dairies’ manure had polluted drinking water supplies with nitrate and posed an imminent threat to human health.

The dairies were ordered to provide clean drinking water to hundreds of neighbors with contaminated wells.

Giant dairy farms have mushroomed as Wisconsin’s industry has consolidated. The Wisconsin Dairy Business Association, an industry group, has fought the notion that the large farms have tainted drinking water by citing the looser regulation of small farms and the presence of human, as well as animal, waste in wells.

The group acknowledges agriculture’s role in the overall problem — and potential solutions.

“If anything, these dairies will be a big part of any improvements going forward,” said the association’s representative John Holevoet, adding that such farms “have embraced regular soil testing and detailed nutrient management planning in a way that others have not,” and pointing to research and technologies to improve the efficiency of nitrogen use.

“The reality is, manure management has never been better or more sophisticated than it currently is. It will only get better,” Holevoet said.

However, even farmers who are following best farming practices set out by federal or state agencies may pollute the groundwater, particularly in areas with geologically vulnerable aquifers such as northeastern Wisconsin’s karst areas or the Central Sands region.

Kevin Masarik, a groundwater education specialist at UW-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education, said some of the factors are beyond farmers’ control.

“We don’t have a lot of tools in the toolbox to address nitrate in groundwater,” he said.

Blue babies and birth defects Nitrate in drinking water poses a “serious health risk to infants and pregnant women,” said Roy Irving, a state Department of Health Services toxicologist. Those who

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non-community water systems” that are required to test at least annually for nitrate.

They projected that given the rising or falling nitrate levels among those wells, about 687 non-community systems, or 8 percent of the total, would eventually need to invest in a new well or a treatment system.

Because nitrate can take time to make its way down to aquifers, some recent trends may be the result of land use practices from decades ago. Improvements made now may take years to bear fruit.

Abigail Becker / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Dick Swanson of Algoma carries dolls painted blue to highlight “blue baby syndrome,” a condition caused when infants drink water polluted by nitrate. Swanson, a member of the advocacy group Kewaunee Cares, attended a “stink-in” with about 50 others on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol on Nov. 7 to protest pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations. Activists blame large-scale farming operations for contaminating drinking water in Kewaunee County and elsewhere.

are most at risk are babies who drink formula made with nitrate-contaminated well water; breastfed infants appear to be fine even if their mothers drink polluted water.

“I don’t think we have fully realized what the extent of nitrate is throughout Wisconsin yet,” Masarik said. “I think there’s areas where we’re going to continue to see wells exceeding the standard that maybe in the past have not been.”

Masarik described how the Joneses saw their well water creep up over 20 milligrams per liter of nitrate — twice the safe limit. Doug Jones wondered if a 15-acre field he was renting out, on which corn and soy was growing, could be to blame. Would taking land out of production improve his well water?

“I don’t know,” Masarik told Jones, offering to monitor the water.

Wisconsin’s public health officer, Henry Anderson, said his department typically finds one or two cases of blue baby syndrome per year through scanning hospital discharge and emergency-room databases.

Two years later, the nitrate levels had decreased. But, Masarik acknowledged, it is not a strategy that most well owners have the “luxury” to employ.

But the department does not follow up to find out if the cases were water-related, he said, as the illness can also be triggered by medications or a rare congenital disorder.

Anderson and other experts said they believed outreach by pediatricians and public health officials has been effective.

In some areas they are to blame. Human waste is rich with nitrogen, just like animal waste. Septic systems that are improperly constructed or placed in areas with vulnerable geology can lead to polluted wells.

“Every visit, we ask, ‘What kind of water do you use? Do you have a well?’ ” said Dr. Beth Neary, an environmental health advocate whose longtime Madison pediatric practice included many mothers from rural areas. “But there’s got to be people who don’t go to the doctor.”

People always ask him: What about septic systems?

Statewide, septics account for about 9 percent of the nitrate inputs to groundwater. Lawn care contributes another 1 percent. Artificial fertilizer and manure contribute the remaining 90 percent.

Last year, the Department of Health Services updated its health advice to warn women who may become pregnant to stay away from water with high nitrate levels, based on emerging research linking the chemical to birth defects.

In one 2013 study of 3,300 Iowa and Texas case mothers and 1,121 control mothers, those whose babies had spina bifida, cleft palate or lip, or a limb deficiency were all more likely to have drunk at least 5.4 milligrams of nitrate a day, which is under the health standard.

Some of those health effects, researchers have written, may be caused not by the nitrate itself but by contaminants, including pesticides, that often occur with it.

Dismaying statewide trend In 2014, Masarik and a group of UW-Madison and state of Wisconsin collaborators analyzed a decade’s worth of data for more than 8,500 churches, bars and other “transient

Ron Seely / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Kevin Masarik, a groundwater education specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education, is seen here at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days near Sun Prairie in August. “I don’t think we have fully realized what the extent of nitrate (in groundwater) is throughout Wisconsin yet,” he said.

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Masarik estimates that to match the water quality impact of a 20-acre field of corn, those 20 acres would have to have 36 normally functioning septic systems on them.

said. The benefits of such plans “may have been oversold in some cases — or misunderstood in terms of what’s actually realistic,” he said.

“Nobody really wants to think that it’s because of them,” Masarik said, but added, “If you want to have an intelligent debate about where it’s coming from and how you can fix it, it’s important to really understand the source.”

For one thing, such plans sometimes increase the use of nutrients. A survey of 259 Wisconsin farmers, most of whom grow corn and soybeans with livestock, found that 51 percent increased their nitrogen applications after implementing nutrient management planning.

Nutrient management no fix Fertilizer usage has about quadrupled since 1960 nationwide, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection estimates that farmers applied over 200 million pounds of nitrogen in excess of UW-Extension crop recommendations in 2007.

Masarik said the nitrate problem is not mainly about farmers heedlessly polluting the landscape by overapplying nitrogen. The trouble is that no plant is perfect at soaking up nutrients.

The state agriculture department says nutrient management planning is one of the best ways to prevent excess nutrients from tainting the water. Wisconsin’s current standards are among the most stringent in the nation, agency spokeswoman Donna Gilson said, and revisions currently underway will require “substantially stronger restrictions” on spreading nutrients for certain soil types, in winter and near conduits to surface or groundwater.

But state agriculture officials’ view of these plans’ effectiveness in addressing nitrate is rosier than that of groundwater experts Kraft and Masarik. Masarik, who was involved in research examining the effectiveness of such nutrient management planning, said the strategy may still result in contaminated wells unless farmers rotate their crops.

Even revisions to the nutrient management standards are unlikely to dramatically improve water quality, Masarik

Well testing is rare Private well owners in Wisconsin are not required to test their wells, and very few have done so, let alone on the annual schedule that public officials recommend. In some areas, even annual tests may not be often enough to guarantee safe water because pollution can spike one month and disappear the next.

Petitioners Sherryl and Doug Jones feel the state Department of Natural Resources has left residents to fend for themselves when it comes to ensuring the quality of their water.

What do the Joneses want?

“We all are entitled to clean water, drinking water,” Doug Jones said. “There’s no reason why with this day and age and all the science and technology that something can’t be done to improve the situation because it just seems to be getting worse.”

Others favor a change in state law, including mandatory testing of private wells.

“Leaving it up to the individual citizen is just not good public health policy,” pediatrician Neary said.

Masarik, who spends much of his time encouraging people to test their wells, cautions that such a requirement could add a layer of bureaucracy without making the public any safer. What would well owners whose tests found nitrate be required to do?

In some situations, “you kind of have to weigh your options,” he said. “The government is not going to be able to make those decisions for them.”

Masarik believes the government’s most helpful role is educating health care providers, local health departments and rural well owners about their responsibility to test their water, especially when buying a piece of property or when a baby is on the way.

Kate Golden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism The porous soil of Wisconsin’s Central Sands region allows manure and other fertilizers from farming operations to make their way into the aquifer, sometimes polluting the groundwater and drinking water with nitrate.

Short-term fixes costly The cost of solving a nitrate problem for a household can run from hundreds of dollars a year for bottled water or water treatment systems to thousands of dollars to drill a new well. Treatment systems, in particular, require maintenance — and are no guarantees of safety, as another case from the Wisconsin Medical Journal illustrates.

Case 4 was a baby girl from Eau Claire County weighing 6 pounds and 10 ounces. She had been healthy for the first month of life. But she started to throw up after feedings and had loose stools. She was treated for dehydration and went home the next day.

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Bridgit Bowden / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Doug and Sherryl Jones show a monitoring well on their property in rural Spring Green. The couple’s drinking water was found in 2007 to contain twice the health limit for nitrate. They initially switched to bottled water but now have a reverse osmosis system to remove nitrate. The Joneses are among 16 petitioners seeking to force the state Department of Natural Resources to better enforce part of the Clean Water Act.

Six days later she was readmitted and was described as “wasted and dusky,” or in other words, blue.

It turned out the family’s solution — a filter — was no solution at all.

She had drunk formula made with well water. The family knew the water was contaminated and was filtering it with a reverse osmosis system.

Reporter Bridgit Bowden contributed to this report. Portions of the series were produced in collaboration with journalism classes participating in The Confluence, a project involving the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the University of WisconsinMadison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the journalism school. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UWMadison or any of its affiliates.

A water sample taken while Case 4 was hospitalized showed nitrate at 9.9 milligrams, right near the health standard, with later samples at 12.5 and 23.5 milligrams per liter.

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Going organic: One farmer’s fight against contaminants in the groundwater

By Kate Golden

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism In the early 1990s, Jim Goodman and his wife began to worry about how the chemicals they were using on the farm might affect their children. The fourth-generation Wisconsin farmer decided to make the shift away from conventional farming at his Sauk County operation.

Now certified organic, the farm includes 120 head of cattle on pasture, including 45 milk cows, and 300 acres of crops.

Organic farming brings new challenges: Goodman has to plan for where his cows will be grazing four years from now, and prevent weeds from growing instead of killing them when they pop up. He does not need to add synthetic fertilizers, relying instead on manure and nitrogen-fixing cover crops. He has little worry about groundwater impacts.

Goodman believes Wisconsin’s nitrate problem has been exacerbated by “too many animals in too small a space” and

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the government’s failure to enforce pollution laws. But he does not judge farmers who increase the size of their farms to survive.

Organic is complicated, Goodman said. “Chemicals are easy.”

Land use is another factor boosting the level of nitrogen in the water. In the Upper Midwest, millions of acres of grassland — which leaches little nitrogen into aquifers — have been converted into fields of corn, soy and other crops since 2008, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison

researchers.

Taking land out of production or rotating crops such as corn with alfalfa that does not require so much nitrogen would help. But global markets and federal farm programs are not set up to encourage such shifts.

“My fear is that the state forgets how to grow anything but corn and soy,” said Kevin Masarik, groundwater education specialist at the UW-Stevens Point’s Center for Watershed Science and Education.

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Cost of most drinking water pollution borne by consumers

By Kate Golden

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Agriculture creates most of the nitrate pollution, but consumers pay most of the cost, whether they drink from public wells or private ones.

The state says that 57 public water systems violated healthbased standards for nitrate in 2014. But that statistic does not include hundreds of public systems that have high nitrate in their raw water and never receive a violation because they dilute or treat their water, or replace their wells.

The city of Chippewa Falls has no nitrate violations. But it has been battling high nitrate levels in one of its two wells since the mid-1980s.

Officials have gone to extraordinary efforts to prevent further contamination. They mapped out where the well’s water came from and forbade some groundwaterendangering land use practices in the area. They took a polluting fertilizer company to court. They bought up farmland to protect their so-far-unpolluted second well.

Yet the first well is still polluted, and it may be decades before the water quality improves. Chippewa Falls avoids health violations only by diluting the polluted water with water from the other well.

State Department of Natural Resources drinking water chief Jill Jonas said during a conference last year that since 1999, the state has provided loans to two or three public water utilities each year to address major nitrate contamination, totaling $32.5 million. Loan applications received in 2014 added up to another $4 million.

Per-capita costs vary: Janesville’s $9 million nitrate fix cost $151 per person, but in Mattoon, a town in Shawano County, the cost came to $2,455 per person.

Even drilling a new well is not guaranteed to fix the problem.

“There are some areas of the state where drilling deeper can actually do nothing, and sometimes leads to other contaminants in drinking water,” Jonas said at the conference.

It may cost even more to drill a well in one of more than 100 areas where the state requires minimum depths or special casing because of specific pollution concerns. Six of those areas were created because of nitrate concerns.

Minnesota researchers have tallied up the costs of nitrate pollution on consumers in that state. Their 2008 study found that the cost to buy bottled water to replace tainted tap water cost residents about $190 per person each year.

The average cost of a new deep-aquifer well was $7,200 plus water softener. And water treatment systems like reverse osmosis, distillation or anionic exchange systems cost an average of $800 to install plus $100 a year for maintenance, the study found.

In Wisconsin, private well owners cannot qualify for the state’s Well Compensation Grant Program unless the nitrate level is at least 40 milligrams per liter, well over the health standard of 10 — and, ironically, only if the water is given to livestock.

Kevin Masarik, groundwater education specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science and Education, said agricultural producers are pressured to keep prices down.

Producers could internalize those costs and spread them out over all customers so that people in Kewaunee County or Spring Green, areas which suffer from nitrate pollution, would not have to pay so much for water.

“But it would involve us paying a few more cents at the grocery store,” Masarik said.

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FAILURE AT THE FAUCET

Safeguarding your drinking water: What you can do Wisconsin residents can take a number of steps to make sure their drinking water is safe. Here are a few suggestions: If you live in one of the 940,000 households in Wisconsin that rely on a private well, have your water tested or test it yourself. The state Department of Natural Resources recommends getting your well tested once a year for coliform bacteria and any time you notice a change in how your water looks, smells or tastes. Check with your county health department on what contaminants may be found in your area and for which you might also want to test.

You can get more information on testing from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, including details on how to obtain testing kits and the costs of various tests. The test for coliform bacteria, for example, costs $29, as do the tests for lead and nitrate.

For those using municipal water, get the consumer

confidence report from your local water utility. Or you can access the reports on the DNR’s database of public water systems. Also, find out if your utility disinfects for viruses or uses corrosion control to help keep lead out of pipes.

If your home was built before 1984, consider having it assessed for lead in the water. While pre-1950 homes often have lead service pipes, some homes built before 1984 may have lead solder on the pipes or fixtures that contain lead.

Consult the DNR website for safer ways to use water that may contain lead.

Consider a filter for your water. But make sure that the filter you choose is effective for removing the specific contaminants that are in your water. The University of Wisconsin-Extension website has advice on which to choose.

— Ron Seely

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What is nitrate?

Nitrate is a compound made up of nitrogen and oxygen. It is formed when nitrogen from ammonia or other sources combines with oxygen in water.

Nitrate is naturally found in plants and in vegetables and can be found in groundwater, depending on how much fertilizer and manure is applied to fields.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, most adults who are eating a balanced diet may consume 10 to 25 milligrams of nitrate or nitrogen per day in their food.

Most comes from leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, celery and spinach but also from cured meats such as bacon.

Additional exposure to nitrate from contaminated drinking water may pose significant health risks. Potentially fatal “blue baby syndrome” has been linked to the presence of

nitrate in drinking water. It is also suspected of causing thyroid disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Common sources of nitrate include nitrogen fertilizers, manure, septic systems and sewage treatment practices.

Nitrate can be carried into the groundwater by rainwater and melting snow that percolates through the soil and bedrock into the underlying aquifer.

Nitrate can also run off fields and pollute surface water, causing overstimulation of aquatic plants and algae, resulting in unsightly scum and occasional fish kills.

Sources: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Nitrate in Drinking Water fact sheet and U.S. Geological Survey Water Science School website.

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About our Failure at the Faucet series

Failure at the Faucet is part of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s ongoing Water Watch Wisconsin project, which examines state water quality and supply issues.

The series was produced for The Confluence, a collaborative project involving the Center and students and faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The investigation included reviewing dozens of studies, interviewing many of the state’s foremost water quality scientists and scouring the state to find homeowners who cannot do something most of us take for granted — cup their hand under the kitchen tap and take a long, cool drink of water.

The Confluence was supported by a grant managed by the Online News Association and funded by the Excellence and Ethics in Journalism Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick

Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Democracy Fund.

Katy Culver, assistant professor in the journalism school, coordinated The Confluence. Ron Seely, a Center editor and reporter, was project editor.

The investigative reporting class that participated in Failure at the Faucet was taught by Deborah Blum, a former UWMadison journalism professor and now director of the Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Students in the class were Rachael Lallensack, Gabrielle Menard, Tierney King, Silke Schmidt, Kathi MatthewsRisley, Jane Roberts, Mary Kate McCoy, Elise Bayer and Fern Schultz.

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Used with permission

Comics by Phil Hands

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