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In 1993, nitrite levels of 3.9 mg/L were detected in the water distribution system of the Village of Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Environmental Protection Agency EPA) regulations require the level of nitrites in public water systems to be less than 1 mg/L.
Levels above this limit have been linked to health effects in humans, including "blue baby syndrome."
Samples of water collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from two shallow wells, key components of the village's water supply, showed excessive levels of nitrogen ammonia.
The source of the ammonia nitrates was determined by the DNR as Nonpoint Source Contamination. Ammonia contained in agricultural fertilizers, plant detritus, and animal manure all can contribute to ammonia nitrate content of groundwater. Ammonia (NH3) and atmospheric nitrogen (N) can be converted to nitrites (N02) in the soil through a natural process called nitrification. This process can also take place within some water treatment plant processes. Nitrites were being produced as the ammonia-rich well water entered the village's water treatment system. The DNR gave the village a deadline of July 1999 to correct the problem.
LOCATING A NEW WELL
The village, with the help of village engineer Crispell-Snyder, Inc. (Elkhorn, Wisconsin) and drilling contractor Layne-Northwest (Pewaukee, Wisconsin), decided to build a new well, wellhouse, and connecting water main to the existing water treatment plant. Crispell-Snyder worked with Village Administrator Bob Carlson on a successful application for a Safe Drinking Water Act loan. In September 1998 Carlson was notified that the village would receive a loan of $884,800 to fund the project.
Locating a well site in Williams Bay was difficult because the shale confining layer-a stone...