Groundwater Quality Investigation of Selected Townships in Jefferson County, Wisconsin

Study objectives: An evaluation by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) concluded that Jefferson County had the highest per acre loadings of nitrogen in the state. Although these estimates were based on a variety of land uses, the largest sources of nitrogen inputs were thought to be agricultural fertilizers and animal waste. Outside of a few water-quality analyses from municipalities and private residences, little is known about the quality of groundwater in Jefferson County. The prime objective of this study was to assess the quality of groundwater in selected areas within the county with an emphasis on determining the nitrate concentrations in domestic wells.