Madison, WI

Written by Paul in Town Profiles,Wisconsin

Madison, WI

The City of Madison is home to an estimated 255,214 residents, and it’s located in Dane County, WI.

This report will help you become better acquainted with Madison and the surrounding area by addressing the following questions:

  • Are there any hazardous sites in Dane County, WI?
  • How clean is the air in Dane County, WI?
  • What’s the average radon level for homes in Dane County, WI?
  • Is the water in Dane County, WI safe to drink?

Hazardous Sites near Madison, WI

There are five Superfund sites in Dane County, WI. Superfund sites, like City Disposal Corp. Landfill in Dunn, WI, are areas that have been contaminated with hazardous substances. If not for the cleanup efforts orchestrated by the EPA, these sites could endanger people living in nearby communities.

The EPA uses the Hazardous Ranking System (HRS) to quantify the risk a contaminated site poses to human health and the environment. Sites assigned HRS scores of 28.5 or greater qualify for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL), and are eligible to receive federal funding for cleanup efforts.

Before the EPA deletes a site from the NPL, it conducts reviews to ensure the cleanup was sufficient. As a result, some sites remain on the active site list long after cleanup activities are complete.

For more information about the Superfund sites located in the Madison, WI area, be sure to review the map and background information provided below:


Map Legend:

55025

A. City Disposal Corp. Landfill (HRS Score: 37)

The City Disposal Corp. Landfill site is located in Dunn, WI.

Contaminants found at the City Disposal Corp. Landfill site include:

  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Beryllium
  • Cadmium
55025

B. Stoughton City Landfill (HRS Score: 36)

The Stoughton City Landfill site is located in Stoughton, WI.

Contaminants found at the Stoughton City Landfill site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Chromium
  • Lead
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
55025

C. Refuse Hideaway Landfill (HRS Score: 35)

The Refuse Hideaway Landfill site is located in Middleton, WI.

Contaminants found at the Refuse Hideaway Landfill site include:

  • Benzene
  • Chloroform
  • Iron
  • Manganese
  • Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate
55025

D. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Lagoons (HRS Score: 33)

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Lagoons site, which was caused when an on-site sewage treatment facility collapsed and released contaminated sludge, is located in Blooming Grove, WI.

Contaminants found at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Lagoons site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Benzene
  • Cadmium
55025

E. Hagen Farm (HRS Score: 32)

The Hagen Farm site, used for disposal of waste materials from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, is located in Stoughton, WI.

Contaminants found at the Hagen Farm site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Benzene
  • Iron
  • Lead

Air Quality in the Madison, WI Area

The two most widespread forms of air pollution are ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot). Exposure to these harmful pollutants, for even just a short period, can have adverse effects on your health.

Thanks to data collected by air monitoring equipment located across the country, the American Lung Association (ALA) is able to assess and track our air quality using three metrics:

  • Ozone
  • Short-term Particle Pollution
  • Year-round Particle Pollution

In their 2019 annual report, the ALA rated the air quality in Dane County, WI as follows:

Ground-Level
Ozone Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Short-Term
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Year-Round
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: Pass/Fail

Radon Levels in Madison, WI Area

Air quality inside your home can be impacted by a number of factors, including the presence of hazardous substances in building materials (asbestos, lead, formaldehyde, etc.) and local radon levels.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas you cannot see or smell. It can build up inside your home and negatively impact your indoor air quality as well as your health.

To provide a guideline, the EPA assigned one of three zones to each U.S. county and county equivalent:

  • Zone 1 (higher radon levels)
  • Zone 2 (moderate levels)
  • Zone 3 (lower levels)

The average indoor radon reading in Dane County, WI is predicted to be higher than 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), so the county has been assigned EPA Radon Zone 1.

EPA Radon Zone

The EPA Recommends acting to reduce your home's radon level if it's measured at 4 pCi/L or greater. So, if you're thinking about purchasing a home in Madison, WI, you should strongly consider having a radon test performed.

Water Quality in Madison, WI Area

In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the EPA sets regulatory limits for drinking water contaminants known to cause adverse health effects.

The following Dane County, WI water provider(s) violated the maximum allowable level for one or more regulated contaminants:

Filter ValueWater SystemContaminantHealth Effects
55025Bay View Heights IncNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 
55025Deforest SouthCombined Radium (-226 and -228)Increased risk of cancer 
55025Dons Mobile ManorNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 
55025Dons Mobile ManorNitrate-NitriteInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.; Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrite in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.
55025Marshall WaterworksCombined Radium (-226 and -228)Increased risk of cancer 
55025Windsor Water Utility NorthNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 

In addition to setting enforceable standards for harmful contaminants, the EPA also established guidelines to assist public water providers in managing the taste, odor and color of their drinking water.

To find out more about what’s in your drinking water, contact your utility company and request a copy of the latest Consumer Confidence Report.

Sources and Methods

Hazardous Sites: Identified using a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous sites detailed on trendingtowns.com represent sites contained on the National Priorities List (NPL) as of November 25, 2019.  The NPL is the list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories.  All site-related data was sourced from the EPA.

Air Quality: Grades for ozone, short-term particle pollution, and year-round particle pollution were obtained from State of the Air 2019, a report compiled by the American Lung Association.

Radon Zones: Radon zone designations were obtained using a public use dataset provided by the EPA (September 11, 2019).

Water Quality: Drinking water violation data was sourced from the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), a public use database provided by the EPA.  The dataset included violations submitted to the database as of the third quarter of 2019.

Paul

I’ve moved several times over the years, so I know just how stressful it can be to relocate. I want to help put your mind at ease. That’s why I research and write about all the things I think you should consider when moving to a new town.

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