Road Signs Encourage Madison Residents To Protect Drinking Water

The city of Madison is installing new road signs to raise awareness about protecting its drinking water supply.

Drivers on the city’s west side might notice some new blue road signs that say, “Entering Wellhead Protection Area.” Amy Barrilleaux, with Madison Water Utility, said a wellhead protection area refers to the land around a drinking water well.

All of the city’s drinking water comes from an underground aquifer, which 22 wells in the area tap into. Barrilleaux said the signs are intended to get people to realize that their actions can affect the groundwater that’s taken from those wells.

“If you’re going to put pesticides and chemicals down on your lawn, make sure you don’t put too much,” she said. “What we put on the ground has the potential to end up in our groundwater.”

The first signs can be found near a well on the west side that has been contaminated by road salt.