Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology Study

Rural residents of Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties in Wisconsin rely on private wells for their water. Contaminants like nitrate and bacteria from septic systems, fertilizer, and manure can contaminate the groundwater that residents use. Groundwater is vulnerable to contamination where the soil layer is thin and the bedrock is fractured, which is the case for much of the study region. The SWIGG study includes five objectives that were designed to assess and understand private well water contamination in the three counties.

The SWIGG study tested water from hundreds of wells in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties to determine whether drinking water contamination issues exist, and if so, what is causing the contamination.

View/Download the final SWIGG study report SUMMARY

View/Download the final SWIGG study report (full version)

PowerPoint slides from the SWIGG Final Report presentations

SWIGG Related Resources