2011 GROUNDWATER INFORMATION / EDUCATION AND WELL TESTING PROGRAM

Groundwater contributes over 33% of the annual water coming into Geneva Lake. It also is the major source of drinking water for the over 2,000 private drinking water wells in the Linn Sanitary District. Because of its importance to the Geneva Lake area, the Linn Sanitary District (LSD) and the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency (GLEA) have entered into a mutual agreement to conduct an extensive campaign to educate the residents of the Geneva Lake area about groundwater’s importance and well testing. It is the hope of both the GLEA and the LSD that by the end of summer residents of the Geneva Lake area will gain a better appreciation of groundwater and its protection while learning how to test their drinking water as a means of understanding their drinking water quality.

Mailings

A major component of the Groundwater Information and Education and Well Testing program will be the dissemination by mail throughout the summer of five groundwater information flyers. These flyers will be four pages of information about different aspects of groundwater. They will be written in simple understandable language with figures and tables.

To view these flyers, click the links below:

• Groundwater in the Geneva Lake Area

• Hydrology in the Geneva Lake Area

• Groundwater, Why it is Important in the Geneva Lake Area

• What you can do to help protect groundwater

• Testing your well, why, when and how

An additional information paper addressing some of the groundwater quality issues in the Geneva Lake/Walworth County area has been prepared and will be disseminated. Much of this information will also be posted on the District’s web page http://www.townoflinn.com/Sanitary.htm and the Agency’s webpage http://www.genevaonline.com/~glea/.

 

INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS

Informational meeting will be held several times during the summer to discuss local groundwater issues and concerns. In August, meetings will be held to coordinate the private well testing. Procedures, equipment and methodology will be reviewed with interested parties being given special sampling bottles or their well. Interested parties will be advised to sample and return the bottle within the given timeline for proper analysis. The well testing is not mandatory and interested parties will be able to choose what tests they want to pay for. A follow up meeting will be held to discuss the results.

WHEN???

The first informational flyers will be mailed in late February. Information will begin to appear on the web pages about the same time. Another mailing will follow each month till August when the well testing is scheduled. A final informational mailing will following the testing in late August. For more information contact either the Linn Sanitary District or the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency at 262-245-5432.

 

Why should you be concerned?>>>