The City of Rhinelander is currently operating on three of its five municipal wells.
Two had been shut down in 2019 due to high levels of PFAS. They are forever chemicals that have been linked to adverse health effects like lower immune response.
In 2020, WXPR reported if the city lost another well, it would not be able to meet its water demand.
Earlier this year, City Administrator Patrick Reagan told WXPR the city is keeping up with current water demands, despite adding two hotels and a new car wash in the last couple of years.
He said a new well is needed to keep up with the city’s expected growth.
Several locations were investigated as possible spots for the new well, with the Nicolet College location being the most promising.
The college had let the city do a test well on its property.
Nicolet College declines
After the city informed the college, it wanted to move forward with the new well on campus Nicolet College held public input meetings and a hired an expert to review the plan.
The report confirmed that the site at Nicolet College would likely be a good location for the well to fit the city’s needs. It also found some potential adverse effects as well.
This includes the potential to draw down water in nearby private wells and lower water levels in Hess Lake by a foot or more. It was unclear about the impact to nearby wetlands, but believed it’s reasonable to expect they would be impacted.
According to a news release from the college, the Nicolet College Board of Trustees “cited concerns about the high degree of uncertainty about the extent of the potential environmental impact on nearby marshland, private wells, and lakes.”
In declining the city’s proposal to install a well on its campus, the board “encouraged the city to evaluate more long-term, sustainable initiatives, such as water treatment for contaminants and water conservation planning.”
The college expressed its appreciation for its ongoing partnership with the city on initiatives that support their shared communities.
City response
WXPR reached out to Rhinelander City Administrator Patrick Regan to learn the city’s response and its next steps.
This was his response: “The City of Rhinelander has received the letter from the college about their decision regarding Well #9 not being sited on their property. While we are disappointed, we do respect their decision. This issue will be brought back to the Common Council for further discussion on next steps.”
