Current Issues
Wisconsin Bill Tackles PFAS Crisis
On May 23, 2019, Governor Evers and Wisconsin DNR Secretary Cole accompanied Senators David Hansen (Green Bay) and Mark Miller (Monona) to announce one of the most comprehensive bills in the nation to address contamination by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances...
Military Munitions Disposal is Polluting Puerto Rico, Despite Safer Alternatives
In solidarity with the citizens of Puerto Rico, more than 40 organizations from around the nation are calling on the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Congress to immediately end the relentless open air burning and detonation of hazardous and mixed wastes on the island...
WI Groups Issue Joint Statement on PFAS
WISCONSIN - A statewide coalition of 28 organizations organized by CSWAB issued a joint position statement today supporting regulation of PFAS as a class of compounds. Assessing risks of chemicals having a similar mechanism of toxicity is not unusual and is similar to...
VICTORY! Army to Remove Mercury-Contaminated Sediments from Lake Wisconsin
Following years of pressure and dedicated work by CSWAB, the Army announced this week that it will be offering a contract for the removal of mercury-contaminated sediments at Gruber’s Grove Bay on Lake Wisconsin (and not the sand cover suggested by the Wisconsin DNR)!...
Army Hides PFAS Test Results at Badger
At a public informational meeting last November, Army officials assured local residents, government officials and the Wisconsin DNR that the highest concentration of two forms of PFAS (PFOA/PFOS) detected in groundwater at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant was...
CSWAB Participates in First WDNR Advisory Meeting on PFAS
On February 22, CSWAB participated in the initial meeting of the PFAS Technical Advisory Group hosted by the Wisconsin DNR in Madison. The goal of the group is to examine the what, where, when and how of PFAS investigation and remediation by sharing concerns,...
PFAS Exposures Will Continue Under EPA Plan, Communities Warn
Today, the EPA announced the first-ever action plan to address the toxic water crisis affecting millions of Americans, but the plan does nothing to support residents and workers who have been drinking contaminated water for decades. “The EPA action plan will only...
CSWAB Asks WDNR to Address PFAS Air Emissions and High-Risk Wells
CSWAB issued formal letters today asking the WDNR to confirm whether or not drinking water wells located near known sources of significant PFAS groundwater contamination are being regularly tested and how it is managing PFAS air emissions. “As the Department is aware,...
Army Reports on Residential Well Testing Near Badger
Recent laboratory testing by the U.S. Army has detected low levels of groundwater contaminants associated with the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant in several nearby residential drinking water wells. Of the 22 drinking water wells tested, five had chloroform,...
Wisconsin Grants CSWAB Petition for Regulating 26 PFAS Compounds
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) is pleased to report that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has granted its petition to establish drinking water Health Advisory Levels for a list of 26 PFAS that have been detected in or pose a threat to...
National Academies Study on Alternatives to Burning Military Hazardous Waste Announced
CSWAB, together with other members of the Cease Fire Campaign, is pleased to announce the anticipated release of the National Academies of Sciences study on alternatives to the military’s open burning and open detonation (OB/OD) of hazardous munitions waste – an...
PFAS in Wisconsin: The Tip of the Iceberg
Industrial sites like the Tyco/Johnson Controls facilities in Marinette, Wisconsin are sources of PFAS groundwater contamination that has spread from these sites, threatening nearby fisheries and affecting residential wells. So far, at least 36 families have been...