The farmers of the Tainter Creek Watershed Council continue to provide an inspiring example for the community of taking groundwater quality seriously. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, watershed council members Chuck and Karen Bolstad drove 40 water samples from the watershed up to the laboratory at UW-Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science and Education. Their journey was facilitated with the loan of a vehicle by Sleepy Hollow Motors and watershed council member Spanky Felton.

This is the second round of well water samples the farmers have helped to pay for in the watershed. The first set of samples was taken a year before, and showed a mix of great and concerning results. The farmers hope to develop a beaseline of groundwater quality in the watershed that they can use to measure their efforts to maintain and increase the quality of the water where they live and farm.

The Tainter Creek Watershed begins in Vernon County’s Town of Franklin, and continues into Crawford County’s Town of Utica. Tainter Creek joins with the Kickapoo River just north of the village of Gays Mills.

As in 2018, all individual well testing results will be completely confidential. As before, staff from UW-Stevens Point will travel down to provide a community groundwater education event using non-specific, high-level information from the testing results in the next few months.