Getting the lead out.

New Lisbon is located in the heart of Juneau County, adjacent to the meandering Lemonweir River. Known as “The Friendly City,” this quaint central Wisconsin community has encountered a number of not-so-friendly obstacles with its well water over the years, struggling to meet both capacity and quality standards.

The presence of elevated levels of iron in the geographic area has historically been problematic to the local water supply. Siting and constructing a well to properly reduce the presence of iron has also been an issue. In 2003, the city constructed Well No. 6, and in 2005 – they placed it into service. This well promised an improvement in water quality and increased capacity, but unfortunately—even with filtration facilities—continued to test high with raw iron concentrations. After several attempts to reconstruct the well, and after just limited time in service, operational issues and excessive iron levels forced it out of service. The well was permanently abandoned in 2013.

Increased capacity, improved quality.

This closure prompted a need for additional well capacity. Without production from Well No. 6, the city needed a new plan to meet the water demands of the community, especially with the recent addition of a prison facility. They found themselves under an order by the Wisconsin DNR to “add source capacity” with the construction of a new well within the system.

New Lisbon called upon MSA to help. A new well was in order. Researching and securing a site that would produce quality water and meet demands was the first step. The MSA water supply experts launched a comprehensive study of the area, assessing sources and locations of contamination, an evaluation of high capacity wells within the vicinity, research of private well operations and a scrupulous level of sampling and testing. Two potential new areas were identified, but ultimately the team focused on an area just to the southeast of the city where they found a significantly improved water source.

MSA designed a test well, drilling through approximately 300 feet of Mount Simon Sandstone. This test well proved out the research and Well No. 7 was soon underway. The well and pumping facilities were designed to meet year 2035 projections. This boosted capacity not only accommodates anticipated population growth, but also provides additional fire protection since its capacity is considerably greater than the existing two wells.

Well funded, up and running.

This project gained extra support with the procurement of a Community Development Block Grant – Public Facilities (CDBG-PF) award of $500,000. It also received assistance from the Wisconsin DNR Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP), making it eligible for 30% principal forgiveness, with the remainder in low-interest loan.

Well No. 7 successfully began operations in December of 2017 and has been supplying clean, safe, quality drinking water to the residents and guests of New Lisbon ever since.