Water samples from private water supply wells in five unsewered subdivisions were tested for nitrate‐nitrogen to determine the possible impact of septic systems on ground water quality. Three subdivisions are located in Eau Claire County and two in LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. The nitrate‐nitrogen concentrations in the wells were analyzed in relation to ground water flow direction, the location of septic systems within the subdivision, and the hydrogeologic and physical characteristics of the subdivisions. A comparison of three nitrogen mass balance models helped to identify the possible sources of nitrate‐nitrogen in the wells. The results indicate that nitrogen from septic systems and lawn fertilizer cause nitrate‐nitrogen to increase in the ground water beneath the downgradient side of the subdivisions. In three of the five subdivisions the highest nitrate‐nitrogen value exceeds the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L.
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John R. Tinker (1991) studied this question.