Skip to main content

Public Health

  • Webpage

    Calibration & barometric pressure

    Pressure adjustments Typically, any barometric pressure measurement that you hear (radio, TV) represents a value that has been corrected to a value relative to sea level. Why is this? For one thing, it's a means of standardizing data. Barometric…

  • Webpage

    DO meter calibration

    Calibration of the DO meter is arguably the most critical aspect of BOD testing, since we measure the consumption of dissolved oxygen (DO). While calibration may be the center of the DO measurement universe, calibration is in turn impacted by both…

  • Webpage

    BOD Basics

    Five-day test The BOD test originated in the United Kingdom due to pollution in the London area along the Thames River. They found that sewage dumped in the Thames River took five days to reach the ocean, hence the five-day incubation period. The…

  • Webpage

    Alternatives To Burning

    Before burning anything, always consider alternatives. Open burning of materials other than clean wood and some yard waste is prohibited. In addition, outdoor burning of anything generates smoke and air pollution and is the number one cause of…

  • Webpage

    Historical Air Emissions Information

    The DNR first developed its web-based Air Reporting System (ARS) in 1995. Today, more than 1,650 emissions inventories and 600 Under Thresholds Notifications (UTNs) are submitted annually by facilities to the DNR via ARS.

  • Webpage

    Radon in private well water

    Radon is a substantial health risk in many Wisconsin homes. There is a risk of developing cancer from long term exposure to radon in air and water. If you get your drinking water from a private well, this page will guide you in evaluating whether…

  • Webpage

    Safety and Ebola hemorrhagic fever resources

    The DNR has received questions about health risks to wastewater treatment plant/sanitary sewer workers from sewage containing the Ebola virus. There is very little research on the fate and transport of the Ebola virus in wastewater collection…

  • Webpage

    Groundwater collaboration workgroup

    Given the unique hydrogeology in certain regions of the state, specifically the karst geology in northeast Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources helped facilitate a groundwater work group to assess issues regarding landspreading and…

  • Webpage

    Arsenic

    Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in soil and bedrock throughout Wisconsin. Under certain conditions, arsenic can be released into groundwater and enter water wells. Long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water is known to increase…

  • Webpage

    NR 140 Groundwater Quality Standards Update

    Subscribe to NR 140 Updates As part of a continuing commitment to protect public health and the environment, the DNR periodically updates groundwater quality standards in ch. NR 140, Wis. Adm. Code.

Subscribe to Public Health