Tap water is good throughout La Crosse, based on yearly water quality report

The water’s fine, in the city of La Crosse.

According to the annual quality report just released for the city, the tap water in La Crosse is safe, meeting state and federal standards for drinking water. Addressing the concern over PFAS chemicals in local well water, the report says no well used in La Crosse has a level of PFAS chemicals that would exceed safety standards.

The report characterizes the PFAS amounts in La Crosse city water as “very low.” In recent years, many people living on French Island have used bottled water because of elevated PFAS levels in wells, traced to firefighting foam that had been used at the La Crosse airport.

Chemical contamination has been an issue on the island, where deliveries of bottled water began four years ago to many families living close to the airport.

All of La Crosse’s tap water comes from groundwater, located about 170 feet below the city, and the La Crosse water utility operates 10 high capacity wells. The report says drinking and cooking water accounts for only one per cent of the tap water used by households around La Crosse, with water primarily being used for laundry, washing dishes, and flushing toilets.