Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clinics and the Vernon County Health Department are working together to make sure residents have safe water.
Residents can pick up bottles to collect samples at the main desk at Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hillsboro from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Samples must be tested within 30 hours of collection and are accepted at the hospital only on Wednesdays before 3 p.m. The samples will be delivered to the health department’s lab for testing.
Residents can also deliver their samples to Vernon County Health Department between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Testing types and fees include the following:
• Bacteria — $20 and includes tests for E. coli and other coliform bacteria
• Nitrates — $20
• Arsenic — $29
• Lead — $37
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point well-water-quality data showed up to 25% of wells tested in Vernon County are contaminated by bacteria, according to a press release prepared by Gundersen St. Joseph’s. If you have a private well, health officials recommend testing it annually for bacteria, the press release notes.
For more information on well-water testing, contact Vernon County Health Department at (608) 637-5251 or email WaterLab@vernoncounty.org.
