Public Health Madison & Dane County

PFAS in Dane County

Person fishing in a lake.

Is there PFAS contamination in Dane County?

Yes. The Truax Field Air National Guard Base and Dane County Regional Airport are contaminated sites due to their longtime use of firefighting foams that had PFAS. The PFAS washed into the nearby creek and seeped through the soil into the groundwater in the area, impacting a large part of Dane County.

Other contamination sites

In addition, groundwater is being monitored by the DNR at the Rockgen Energy facility near Cambridge, WI. It was determined that years of testing of the fire suppression system which contained PFAS at the facility led to the groundwater contamination. The DNR is actively monitoring the groundwater plume.

Finally, we’ve also learned that there’s an area with PFAS groundwater concentrations that exceed DHS recommendations in the Waubesa Beach area from testing private wells in the area. While it’s unclear where the source of PFAS contamination is, we do know groundwater in this area flows into Lake Waubesa, which contributes to the contamination of the lake. 

How PFAS gets into surface waters

This happens when storm water carries contaminated soil into the surface water or groundwater and carries PFAS that has soaked into the ground to nearby streams and lakes. Storm water runoff from Truax Field and the airport carried PFAS to Starkweather Creek, which transported the PFAS downstream to Lake Monona. 

Elevated levels of PFAS have been found in Starkweather Creek, Wingra Creek, Lake Monona, Lake Kegonsa, Lake Waubesa, and Upper and Lower Mud Lake. Because of this contamination, fish eating guidelines are in place and we have tips for how to reduce your exposure if you are spending time on the water.

There are no current national guidelines for PFAS in surface waters. Wisconsin set surface water standards for PFOA and PFOS, two different PFAS chemicals, in 2022. These standards regulate municipal and industrial discharges under the Clean Water Act. They include requirements to quantify levels for human health protection, for monitoring and compliance schedules, and whether the water is above standards for PFAS. Learn more about surface water standards from the WI Department of Natural Resources.

PFAS are in our biosolids

PFAS are so widespread in our environment and in the products that we use, that a large section of the population already have low-levels of PFAS in our system. We pass these PFAS in our poop and pee when we go to the bathroom. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) treats this wastewater from our homes, releases the treated water into our local surface waters, and recovers the biosolids to use as fertilizer on farm fields. MMSD uses a standard set by Michigan which has now been adopted by the DNR.

Learn more from Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. For information in the rest of Dane County, contact your local sewerage district.

Is there PFAS in my drinking water?

PFAS are being found in more and more drinking water supplies, including in Dane County.

City of Madison

Madison Water Utility began voluntarily testing for PFAS years ago and tests two times a year. You can look up the water quality at your address, including PFAS, on Madison Water Utility’s website. If you want to learn more about what Madison Water Utility is doing about PFAS, visit their PFAS webpage.

Other Dane County Municipalities

Don’t live in Madison? Other communities in Dane County have tested their water through the DNR. Visit the DNR website and click “PFAS Sampling Info” under “Layer Controls.” Click on the circle next to the name of the municipality to find out the results. Contact your municipality if you want more information.

Water from Private Wells

If you're in an area near PFAS contamination, it's recommended that you test your well for PFAS. 

In Dane County, the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is able to test for PFAS. You can also get your water tested from any WI DNR certified labs. If you get your well tested, you can use this tool from the Department of Health Services to compare your test results to State standards. If PFAS levels are high, you can take steps to limit your exposure. If you need help understanding your test results, please email us. 

Reduce Your Exposure to PFAS in the Water You Drink

It’s hard to avoid exposure to low levels of PFAS. Reduce or limit your exposure when you can, making drinking water and food your priority. The human body does get rid of PFAS after a while. Limiting your exposure can reduce the levels of PFAS in your body.

Tap Water

If you’re concerned about PFAS in your drinking water, there are steps you can take to reduce your exposure. Use a granular activated carbon or reverse osmosis filter, or get your water from a treatment system that uses one. Look for systems certified by ANSI/NSF Standards 53 or 58. This website has a list. Use them to filter your water used for:

  • Drinking
  • Cooking
  • Making baby formula or food
  • Washing fruits/veggies
  • Brushing teeth
  • Feeding pets

Bottled Water

Municipal drinking water is more regulated than bottled water and is generally considered safer than bottled water. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t set limits on PFAS in bottled water. Brands who belong to the International Bottled Water Association test their water for PFAS each year. Look for bottled water labeled with the NSF or IBWA seal. If the label says “purified,” it’s probably filtered through reverse osmosis. This could mean it has less PFAS in the water.

PFAS standards for drinking water

The US EPA adopted new drinking water standards in April of 2024 that include six PFAS chemicals. The drinking water standards apply to municipal and publicly available water only and do not affect private well owners. There are no current Federal standards for groundwater and it is not expected that any will be proposed. Recognizing that the majority of drinking water in Wisconsin originates from groundwater, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources asked the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to create a groundwater standard for Wisconsin. DHS has made their recommendations to the DNR but since the groundwater standards were estimated to have a greater than $10 million economic impact, the rules would have to be adopted through legislation. The WI state legislature has yet to adopt these recommendations. The DNR is now working through the rule making process to adopt the new EPA drinking water standards.

Notice that the groundwater recommendations for PFOA and PFOS are stricter than the current drinking water standards. The Federal drinking water standards were proposed in 2016. The Wisconsin groundwater recommendations were given in 2022. The US EPA is expected to finalize new drinking water standards at the beginning of 2024.

Standards and Recommendations

Most tests include 33 different PFAS chemicals. Most of the 33 different PFAS chemicals are not regulated. The table below shows the different standards and recommendations. The Drinking Water standards regulate municipal water systems only and do not apply to groundwater or private wells. DHS has made their recommendations to the DNR but since the groundwater standards were estimated to have a greater than $10 million economic impact, the rules would have to be adopted through legislation. Since there are no current federal standards for groundwater, our private well tests are based around the DHS groundwater recommendations when determining what is considered an exceedance.

table pfas chemicals standards recommendations
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PFAS in Dane County