In the plume: Kayla Furton's PFAS story

“The atmosphere, the earth, the water and the water cycle – those things are good gifts… We have to regard them as gifts because we couldn’t make them. We have to regard them as good gifts because we couldn’t live without them”.

-Wendell Berry

Kayla Furton understands this firsthand.

A mom from the town of Peshtigo, Kayla moved back to her childhood home four years ago to raise her children. Recently, she discovered that her well was polluted.

“We were excited to be close to family, part of the caring hard-working community we grew up with, and to raise our children surrounded by natural beauty – and plenty of room to explore the outdoors”, Kayla said.

“What we didn’t know was that we were moving our kids into the middle of a massive PFAS plume of contamination,” said Kayla. Kayla immediately took action with a local group called S.O. H2O to help alert citizens and neighbors of the dangers of PFAS and other pollutants in their water.

“This plume contaminated the creek in our woods, the waterfront our children love, and this fall, we found out that the water coming into our home was now contaminated,” Kayla said.

“No individual, no family, no child should be put at risk through the water they drink or through their environment. I am committed to working for clean water for all – our children, our neighbors, our state deserve at least that,” Kayla said.

As flooding becomes more intense, already vulnerable communities like Peshtigo and Marinette that are facing the threat of PFAS and other water pollutants, are put at even greater risk.

Nearly 70 percent of Wisconsinites depend on groundwater for their household drinking water. Flooding can spread and inundate wells with toxins, making an already terrible problem even worse.

The election on Nov. 3 is crucial to ensuring that Kayla's district has a leader ready to tackle the growing threat of PFAS in our drinking water.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters is proud to endorse Jonathon Hansen for Senate District 30. Jonathon is an effective leader who will fight to ensure everyone in Wisconsin has safe, healthy water – and hold polluters accountable.

In the 30th Senate District, rural families have been plagued by manure pollution for years, and the emerging threat of toxic PFAS is threatening the health and well-being of families around Peshtigo and Marinette.

For more information read our candidate profile of Jonathon Hansen.