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I State of Wisconsin \ DEPARTMENT ENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES A A 101 South Webster Street Po WISCONSIN Box 7921 DEPT.OF NATURAL RESOURCES Madison,Wisconsin 53707 TELEPHONE 608-266-2621 George E.Meyer TELEFAX 608-267-3579 Secretary TDD 608-267-6897 February 18, 1993 Mr. Bill Fleck FEB 18 1993 Dane County Zoning and Natural Resources Committee Room 116, City Council Building RECEIVED Madison, WI. 53709 ZONING DIV. SUBJECT: Wellhead Protection in the Village of Cottage Grove Dear Mr. Fleck: In many cases the efforts of individuals and communities go unnoticed. I would like to take a moment to praise the efforts that the village and the people of Cottage Grove have put forth toward protecting their municipal water supply. It has recently come to my attention that there is an extra-territorial zoning situation which may weaken the wellhead protection program that the people of Cottage Grove have worked extremely hard to develop. It is not my intention to side with one group or the other, but I do intend to extol the wellhead protection program that has been developed by the village of Cottage Grove. Wellhead protection in Wisconsin is a voluntary program that aims at preventing contaminants from entering the area of land from which a community draws it's water supply. Unlike many other environmental programs, wellhead protection is preventative in nature, not reactive. A community's wellhead protection program is developed by water utility officials, local elected officials, and concerned citizens who see a need to protect the investment that they have in their municipal water supply well. As the many contamination incidents from across the state have shown, our drinking water supplies are not invulnerable to contamination, and the costs associated with a contaminated well may easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Very few communities in Wisconsin are able to financially cope with a contaminated well. Wellhead protection is a pollution prevention tool that is used by citizens who are concerned enough in their community to take steps to minimize the potential of contamination of their water supply. The village of Cottage Grove is one community in the state which has come dangerously close to having their municipal well contaminated. This incident prompted the citizens and civic leaders of the community to take steps to lessen the likelihood that their municipal water supply well will be threatened again. The governing body of the village worked with the citizens and businesses of the community, along with a representative Printed on Recycled Paper