KRONENWETTER, WI (WSAU) — Public Works officials in the Village of Kronenwetter could soon bring in outside help to asses the city’s water quality in 2019.
Director of Public Works Christopher Johnson says the issues surrounding the water are cosmetic, with no danger to the public at all, but still need to be addressed, especially considering Kronewetter’s place as a largely residential village. “This is where people live, and they have higher standards for their home water than if we were more commercial or residential.”
The problems stem from a higher than normal level of iron and manganese in the water supply. Johnson emphasizes that the water meets all quality metrics for safety and that the high levels are purely “aesthetic.”
Previous studies by the village into the matter have looked at the possibility of searching for new wells to source water from and how much it would cost to purchase treated water from other municipalities. He says the plan is to provide that information to a consultant who could help digest the information and provide direction for the which direction the village should go.
“The Request For Proposals would be for a firm to evaluate what all these options are, and to let us know what would be the possible impact on the residents and water consumers if we go any one of those directions,” said Johnson.
He adds that the village would also be open to other ideas the consultants may have. The goal of the survey would be to find a solution that helps the village meet the water quality standards of its residents in an economic manner, with little financial impact.
Johnson stresses that the village’s water remains safe and that they would like residents to be involved in the ongoing conversations as much as possible.
Should the Village choose to hire an outside consultant to examine the issue, the process would start early in 2019. Johnson says he wouldn’t expect any concrete findings until about May 2019. “These studies can’t just be done overnight if we are going to go about it the right way.”
