Evaluating the Effects of Septic System Density on Groundwater Quality in Southeastern Wisconsin

This research was a pilot study examining exurban housing development, on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), and private well-water quality in an unincorporated and unsewered area of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. The project sought to improve our understanding of how OWTS density, age, and type are distributed spatially within this exurban landscape, and how these contextual factors – combined with private well design and depth – may influence the quality of groundwater used by these households. The project also included a county-wide spatial analysis combining digital maps of OWTS locations and densities and groundwater vulnerability.