LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – A new bill introduced by Rep. Jill Billings would require the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to alert county and tribal health departments within a week when unsafe levels of contaminants are found in groundwater.
Called the Water Quality Notification Act, it is designed to make sure residents are quickly informed about pollution that could affect their drinking water.
Billings said the measure is about transparency and public health, not punishment.
“This bill does not seek to create additional regulations. It does not seek punitive measures,” Billings said. “It does not point fingers. It is simply focused on public health and good government.”
Billings said she worked closely with local health departments, agricultural leaders, and advocacy groups to create a bipartisan proposal that can realistically pass the Legislature.
“I don’t want to notify people that there’s something wrong with the water they’re drinking and then just walk away,” she said. “We do have a well compensation grant program in the state. I’m working with folks on the other side of the aisle to beef up that program and make it available for more folks who would likely need some help.”
Town of Campbell Supervisor Lee Donahue expressed support for the bill, saying the bill could have made a big difference for her community which has dealt with PFAS contamination for years.
“It would have changed a lot of things. For us, sadly, there was awareness by the DNR as early as 2014 that there was PFAS detected on French Island,” Donahue said. “That would have given us six years earlier notification that we were potentially drinking contaminated water. Six years is a long time to drink something that’s toxic.”
Billings said the measure represents a common-sense approach to protecting residents across Wisconsin, and that “the public has a right to know what’s in the water that they’re drinking.”
She said the bill has bipartisan support and believes it’s a realistic step toward stronger public health protections statewide.
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