Water
Everyone deserves clean drinking water, yet tens of thousands of Wisconsinites face contamination. We’re working to change that.
Private well owners have a right to know what’s in their water
Private well owners face a multitude of safe drinking water challenges, often without support for identifying contamination and remediating it. The first step to solving a problem is knowing you have one.
LEARN MOREWho is impacted?
Imagine worrying every day whether the water from your tap is safe for your children – or driving 60 miles round trip each week just to access clean drinking water. These are real challenges faced by people like Tarion O’Connell and Katy and Dennis Matzek.
Unsafe drinking water affects families and communities across Wisconsin, from urban neighborhoods to rural towns. Agricultural runoff, industrial pollution and aging service lines allow contaminants such as nitrate, lead, and PFAS to enter drinking water. The consequences include serious health risks including developmental harm to children, pregnancy complications, and significant financial strain.
When one community lacks safe water, the impacts ripple across the state. Everyone in Wisconsin deserves clean, safe drinking water.
See more stories of Wisconsinites impacted by contaminated water >>>
What are the solutions?
State laws and elected leaders are meant to protect Wisconsin residents. That’s why we connect people like you with lawmakers to advocate for strong policies and funding to address the water crisis.
In 2025, thanks to our members and supporters, we secured $732 million in new state financing to combat water contamination. But that’s just the start.
We are now working to advance legislation that would ensure private well owners have the right to know if their water is contaminated. This legislation is supported by over 60 stakeholders and a bipartisan group of over 60 legislators. You can’t fix a problem you don’t know exists – and too many people are drinking unsafe water without realizing it.
Looking ahead, we must elect leaders who will protect our water and put public health first. Each election, we endorse candidates committed to clean water and conservation, and we hold lawmakers accountable through our Conservation Scorecard, which shows what lawmakers actually did, not just what they said.
“This is not a red or a blue issue. This is a people issue.”
mother. leader. voter.
Shy McElroy, Milwaukee
How to take action
Our vision is simple: Every person in Wisconsin should be able to turn on the tap and drink clean, safe water. Achieving that goal depends on people like you.
Here are three easy ways to help:
- Contact your legislators and urge them to support legislation that improves water testing and transparency.
- Volunteer with our organizing team to write postcards, knock on doors, make calls and more. After you sign up, a team member will follow up.
- Donate to support our fight for clean water across Wisconsin.
Together, we can protect our water and all of our communities.
“Nobody should have to worry if the water they're cooking with is toxic or fear where their children play is poisonous.”
advocate. entrepreneur. voter.
Cindy Boyle, Peshtigo
Victories!
For the first time ever, Wisconsin will have PFAS-specific water standards to protect the health of Wisconsinites. Gov. Tony Evers demonstrated his leadership and dedication to the health of our communities when he began this process to bring drinking water standards to our state.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly toxic human-made chemicals resistant to heat, water, and oil. PFAS are linked to many negative health effects, including cancer, thyroid disease, and growth impairment. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down in the environment and are being discovered in an increasing number of communities around Wisconsin. Prior to the adoption of these rules, there were no requirements for testing and cleaning up PFAS pollution.
Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ members and impacted community leaders have worked for more than two years to achieve the clean water protections guaranteed by the PFAS administrative rules. They volunteered hours, signed petitions, showed support at events, and testified at hearings to urge leaders to take this action. These PFAS standards could not have passed without their work.
With the passage of PFAS standards for drinking water this past spring, Wisconsin took a giant step forward in protecting your water from these highly toxic chemicals. Now, as those standards take effect and municipalities begin testing for PFAS in drinking water, we are beginning to see just how widespread the problem is, and how much more work we need to do to protect the health of Wisconsinites. Recently, the DNR launched an interactive tool with information about PFAS throughout Wisconsin.
The PFAS Interactive Data Viewer combines information from multiple sources into one tool to allow users to more easily understand what is known about PFAS in Wisconsin. The tool includes locations with known contamination, PFAS-related fish and game consumption advisories, and waterbodies sampled during monitoring.
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Every day, Wisconsin Conservation Voters members are standing up to protect our air, land, water, and democracy. Join the movement and help protect Wisconsin.
Volunteer
This is a people powered movement. Fill out this volunteer form, and our organizing team will reach out with opportunities to take action.
Activist toolkit
Want to take action, but aren’t sure where to start? The Activist Toolkit gives you tips and opportunities to take action and develop your skills.
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Clean drinking water, climate justice, and a healthy democracy begin with you. Together, we can ensure a healthy, beautiful Wisconsin for all to enjoy.