hands_water SQUAREState Representative Dave Considine and State Senator Jon Erpenbach have submitted a formal inquiry to the Wisconsin DNR asking for a response to a citizen petition concerning degradation products of Dinitrotoluene (DNT), an explosive used in manufacturing at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant.

The legislators’ November 18 letter to Jill Jonas, Director of the DNR Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater, asks for an update on the status of a July 13 petition from Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB). CSWAB is requesting that Healthy Advisory Levels (HALs) be established for 17 compounds identified as degradation products of DNT but do not have a published Wisconsin HAL or Groundwater Enforcement Standard. Such requests are forwarded by DNR to public health officials who establish thresholds if sufficient data is available.

“Lifetime Health Advisory Levels (HALs) are established by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for contaminants in groundwater and drinking water,” said Laura Olah, Executive Director of CSWAB. “HALs serve as technical guidance to assist regulators with water consumption advisories and groundwater remediation decisions. They also provide the public with essential information about the potential health risks associated with exposure to contaminants in drinking water and well water.”

“This request is time-sensitive as this area has recently been the subject of a great deal of discussion,” Considine/Erpenbach wrote. “Especially in light of the new information presented at the groundwater information meeting at the Sauk City Public Library last night that there have been suspect well monitoring reports in the Central plume and the identification and delineation of a new, 4th plume on the now Ho-Chunk portion of the Badger property, the timeliness of this request appears to be even sharper.”

“It is also our understanding that the DNR is the process of revising the master plan for the former Badger plant,” the state legislators concluded. “We want to ensure that the information is well considered in all facets of current planning and operations of this now-public property.”

Erpenbach-Considine CSWAB Petition Update Request Nov 2015

CSWAB Petition Health Advisory Levels DNT degradation July 2015