By Sara QuamThe general concept of protecting the water supply may seem simple, but it takes a whole plan to know how to do it right.Doug Bos, assistant director of Rock County’s Land Management Office, has been working on that plan. "The plan tells us what we need to do in the next 10 years to improve the water," Bos said.Of particular concern for water quality is the fact that just three wellhead areas supply 75 percent of Rock County’s population with water.The Water Plan will be written locally, forwarded to the state for review, and then Rock County will make final revisions before the end of 2006.The state requires counties to complete the Water Plan, which then qualifies the county for funding that goes toward programs such as abandoned well sealing and water testing.Overall, Bos said the Water Plan will help guide the county in all decisions that could impact water.Always on tapBos said the biggest mistake people make with regard to water quality and quantity is always assuming it will be there — for business or residential use."Our water comes from aquifers that are only about 30- to 40-feet deep," Bos said, "so there’s not a lot of soil for the water to filter possible contaminants."Water quality concerns include obvious things such as manure management for livestock producers. The Land Management Office is even hosting a class in February dealing with how nutrients in the soil can be effectively balanced.Other less obvious water quality concerns are old septic tanks for rural homes, and soil erosion in waterways. Sometimes the educational portion of the work can be the most important. For example, abandoned wells are a direct connection to the water supply, and one task force member relayed the story of a farmer outside Rock County who had stored old pesticide containers in a well, causing a direct hazard to aquifers.Bos said, "The programs we have in place have done a good job and we’re continuing to improve."He said the plan the county is currently developing outlines priority concerns and that is a big task in itself that will make everyone more accountable to water protection.
