The JONAH Environmental Task Force looks at how our values lead us to tend to the environment and make a difference locally, provides public education on various topics around the environment, works with congregations and community groups to work on needed areas, support others efforts, build collaboration and relationship, and applies JONAH’s upstream efforts to the environment. 

Water quality in the state of Wisconsin is a top concern for them in their work, and members are asking you to consider the environment when you vote on April 5.

The item appears on Eau Claire County voters’ ballots this spring as a referendum. The referendum question states: “Should the State of Wisconsin establish a right to clean water to protect human health, the environment, and the diverse cultural and natural heritage of Wisconsin?”

Passing this advisory referendum question gives voters the opportunity to support meaningful action by local and state governments to protect drinking water, rivers, and lakes. Wisconsinites raised concerns about the urgency of protecting our water during the Speaker’s Water Quality Task Force hearings in 2019, but the proposals from the state task force fell short and the Legislature has not taken action on task force recommendations.

Wisconsin’s water pollution issues continue to grow. Contamination issues abound with PFAS found in city wells, leaching from lead pipes, and nitrate contamination from lawn fertilizer, faulty wells, and human and animal waste. Much work remains to help Wisconsin families get access to clean water.  

 The “Clean Water Now for Wisconsin” referendum question passed overwhelmingly by Eau Claire County Groundwater Advisory, Planning and Development, Parks and Forest, and Administration Committees, and later by the full County Board. Passing this county resolution show elected officials and stakeholders that clean water must be addressed.

 The Clean Water Now campaign empowers Wisconsinites to once again raise their voices to address critical water issues. For more information go to voteforcleanwater.com.

Nancy Coffey is a member of the Eau Claire County Board and author of the clean water resolution.

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