Wisconsin's Site Evaluation Program
Wisconsin’s Site Evaluation Program (SEP), P-02170 (PDF) is funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) Partnership to Promote Local Effort to Reduce Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE). We analyze chemical information and identify risks to human health, which includes determining the health impact of past and current industrial waste sites and other chemical releases to the environment. SEP focuses on chemical hazards related to indoor air, water, and soil.
Wisconsin’s SEP evaluates environmental hazards and assesses their potential public health impacts through:
- Public health assessments (PHAs)
- Health consultations
- Health advisories
- Technical assistance
- Health education activities and risk communication within communities
Our program provides assistance to the public, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), local health departments, and environmental consultants on various sites, such as National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites.
Other programs we offer
We manage the Choose Safe Places initiative, a voluntary program that conducts virtual environmental assessments of prospective family or group child care centers applying for licensure or certification from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. This program helps ensure child care centers open in environmentally safe locations.
SEP supports the work local health departments and community-based organizations conduct and awarded mini-grants to increase environmental health literacy for Wisconsin homeowners and tenants in 2024 and 2025. With technical support and guidance from SEP, this funding opportunity helped grantees create and enhance interventions within their communities aimed at preventing exposure to environmental hazards within the home.
Wisconsin sites
Wisconsin is a part of EPA's Region 5. You can search for Superfund sites in Wisconsin to learn more about cleanup activities. Not all contaminated sites SEP works on are Superfund sites.
DNR’s Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) is an online public-facing database and mapping tool that provides current and past information on contaminated properties in Wisconsin, including cleanup and remediation activities.
The sites below are areas with active, ongoing, or recent investigations. Visit ATSDR for other public health assessments and health consultations created before 2019.
About the site
The Amcast Industrial Corporation, previously a local automotive industry supplier, is located in the township of Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. The previous site owners emptied polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into storm sewers which flowed into the nearby creek, Zeunert Pond, and possibly other surrounding areas.
The Amcast Industrial Corporation site includes both the North and South properties. The EPA proposed the Amcast Industrial Corporation site for the NPL in April 2009 after remediation activities and sampling efforts were paused after the responsible party, the individual or entity liable for the contamination, filed for bankruptcy. Sampling efforts and remediation plans have since resumed – see the BRRTS and NPL Superfund site resources below for specific details and timelines for cleanup activities at the Amcast Industrial Corporation site.
Resources
About the site
The Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP) is a large, former industrial installation located in south-central Wisconsin, approximately 9 miles south of Baraboo and 30 miles northwest of Madison. The plant covers approximately 7,354 acres within Sumpter and Merrimac townships in Sauk County, Wisconsin. In 1942, the U.S. Department of Defense built BAAP for the production of nitrocellulose-based propellants used in rocket-propelled artillery, cannon, and small arms shells.
The Department of the Army is in the process of permanently closing the idle BAAP. The primary contaminants of concern (COCs) at the BAAP site are dinitrotoluenes (DNTs). See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
About the site
The JCI Tyco site was previously used as a fire testing and training facility, the Tyco Fire Training Facility, in the city of Marinette, Marinette County. Firefighting foam used at the training facility led to significant contamination in drinking water, surface water, wastewater treatment plant biosolids, and fish and wildlife. Impacted communities include Marinette, Peshtigo, and the surrounding areas. The primary contaminant of concern (COC) at the JCI Tyco site is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
- ATSDR ToxFAQs for PFAS
- There are currently seven open activities at this site. For a full list of activities, search “JCI/Tyco” on DNR BRRTS.
- DNR PFAS contamination in the Marinette and Peshtigo area webpage
- DNR deer liver PFAS advisory
- DNR fish consumption advisories
- PFAS chemical page
- PFAS and backyard gardening, P-03111. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
- PFAS in private well water, P-03212. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
- Reducing PFAS in your drinking water, P-03012. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
About the site
The Milwaukee Estuary AOC was identified as one of 31 U.S.-based AOCs across the Great Lakes. AOCs were created by the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Milwaukee Estuary contains portions of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers, as well the Milwaukee Bay of Lake Michigan. Contamination of the Milwaukee Estuary has resulted from historical discharges from industries, wastewater treatment plants, sewer overflows, and both agricultural and urban runoff.
The U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office identified 11 floodplains on the Milwaukee River between the former Estabrook Dam and Spillway and the former North Avenue Dam. The primary contaminants of concern (COCs) in the Milwaukee Estuary AOC floodplains are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals. See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
- 2024 Health consultation
- ATSDR ToxFAQs for PAHs
- ATSDR ToxFAQs for PCBs
- DNR fish consumption advisories
- DNR Milwaukee Estuary AOC page
- Milwaukee river fish consumption advisory signage, P-03258 (PDF)
- PAHs chemical webpage
- PCBs chemical webpage
- Waterway Restoration Partnership webpage on the Milwaukee Estuary AOC
About the site
Oscar Mayer & Co. purchased the meat packing facility at 910 Mayer Ave in Madison, Dane County in 1918. The site is a mixed-use area (industrial, commercial, recreational, and residential) of approximately 70 acres consisting of east, central, and west portions with most of the buildings and processes concentrated on the central portion of the site.
Throughout its history, the company used many chemicals on site in production and transportation, including solvents, petroleum products, and chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics. The primary contaminants of concern (COCs) at the Oscar Mayer Plant site are chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs). See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
About the site
In the summer of 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR’s) Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater launched a project designed to understand PFAS occurrence in the shallow groundwater of Wisconsin by sampling 450 wells throughout the state. During this study, sample results from a well in the Town of Stella, in Oneida County, indicated high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds. Because of this result, the DNR sampled wells of nearby private well owners to better understand the extent of contamination in the area. This additional sampling found other private wells in the area with very high levels of contamination.
As part of a follow-up investigation, surface water samples were taken in the summer and fall of 2023 and a number of surface water bodies around the Town of Stella were found to have high concentrations of PFAS. See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
- DNR fish consumption advisories
- DNR PFAS interactive data viewer
- DNR Town of Stella page
- PFAS chemical page
- PFAS contamination in and around the Town of Stella: Health information, P-03610 (PDF)
- PFAS and backyard gardening, P-03111. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
- PFAS in private well water, P-03212. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
- Reducing PFAS in your drinking water, P-03012. This form is available as a PDF in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
About the site
The Unity Auto Mart site property is currently being used as a seasonal fireworks store, but it was previously used as a gas station/convenience store, coin-operated laundromat, and dry-cleaning facility. The historic use of this facility led to groundwater contamination from chlorinated solvents. The area of contamination is currently estimated to be approximately 25 acres based on information provided by the NPL Superfund site. The primary contaminants of concern (COCs) at the Unity Auto Mart site are Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE or PERC). See resources below to learn about potential health effects and the current activities happening at this site.
Resources
Public comments
Public health assessments and health consultations are intended to identify health hazards, address community health concerns, and recommend actions to reduce unhealthy exposures at ongoing chemical contamination sites.
Public comments are a vital part of the PHA process and give you the opportunity to provide feedback, suggestions, and ask questions on the findings and recommendations within the document. If you are writing a comment, you can email us your written comments, questions for clarification, and suggestions at dhsenvhealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov. Tell us which PHA or HC you are commenting on and let us know which section or page you are referring to in your comments. Your suggestions and ideas are vital to the communication process.
Comments can also be mailed to:
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Division of Public Health, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health (DPH/BEOH)
201 E. Washington Ave.
PO Box 2659
Madison, WI 53701
There are currently no PHAs in the public comment phase. An overview of the PHA process is available from the ATSDR.
Looking to learn more? Check out these additional resources
- ATSDR Environmental Justice Index (EJI): Explore the interactive tool to see how environmental burdens impact your county
- Children and the Environment: Learn how children are impacted by their environment, both in and out of the home.
- DNR Environmental Cleanup and Redevelopment: Learn about DNR's efforts to cleanup and redevelop the environment.
- DNR Wisconsin Remediation and Redevelopment Database: Search the inter-linked system tracking information on different contaminated land activities.
- EPA's Envirofacts: Get an assessment of your environment using your zip code.
- EPA's Toxics Release Inventory Program: Learn about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal facilities.
Questions? Can't find what you're looking for?
Contact us at dhsenvhealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov