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this new initiative, but
promised to return to our

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set and talk about
athletics at a future date.

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In dental news, at more
than 100 sites across the

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state, from Mount Pleasant
to Superior, people are

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dealing with water
contaminated with the man

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made chemicals known as
PFAS. Here and now.

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Reporter Murv Seymour went
to the Northwoods community

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of Stella, which is
currently under review for

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a Superfund designation
where residents put health

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and environmental officials
on the hot seat.

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>> Stella is a farming
community.

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town of Stella.
some individuals out here.

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>> It's lakes, it's
wildlife, the people.

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>> Everybody is a neighbor
and everybody knows

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everybody.
reasons people move here.

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>> It's a very caring
community.

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locals never leave.
>> When somebody needs

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something out here,
everybody shows up.

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Obviously, it's a good
turnout.

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have shown up at Stella
Hall filling the parking

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lot and roadsides.
>> We're all here for the

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same reason.
>> Inside, they fill nearly

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every seat as they stand
together listening. Because

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tonight they need answers
from town, state and

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federal officials about
their precious lakes and

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wildlife that are
contaminated with man made

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chemicals known as PFAS.
They're here to work with

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us. They're here to answer
our questions.

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Casey Crump lives in this
community.

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>> I love the community. I
love the people.

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>> He has for almost 25
years.

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>> These are neighbors,
their friends.

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this information session
together to provide his

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community and himself with
the first update in almost

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two years on fact.
>> We're learning more and

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more.
how contaminated are the

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water and ground, whose
what's the impact on people,

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wildlife, crops and
property values. Casey's

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quest for answers is
personal.

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but now it's even more
personal.

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>> Like everyone else here.
>> We have permanent

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residents that live around
it, and we have vacationers

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that come up during the
summer.

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of questions.
>> What does PFAS do to us

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when we have it in our body?
And then also, how can we

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find out if we do have it
in our body? If my well's

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been tested positive and
I've been drinking this

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well for 30 years, you know,
do I have it in my body?

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How can we find out about
that?

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three times the recommended
levels. The town is in the

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early assessment phase of
being designated a federal

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Superfund site. Superfund
status would mean federal

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funds and an expedited
cleanup process. Behind

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Town Hall sits one of many
EPA and DNR groundwater

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testing sites. Water
samples taken from various

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wells like this are part of
the lengthy assessment

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process, which could take
decades. For now, the DNR

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tells people within five
miles of Stella to limit

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their consumption of deer
meat to one meal per month,

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and they've been told not
to eat deer liver at all.

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And they shouldn't eat any
fish from almost a dozen

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different lakes in the area,
which includes fish and all

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of the lakes that make up
the heavily populated and

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popular Moen Lake Chain.
Nearby. Snowden Lake is on

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the list, too. At the edge
of the highway, 50 yards

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from shore, you'll find a
wooden gate that leads down

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towards the lake with a
sign that warns people

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about the contaminated lake
water and the risks of

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being exposed to it from
swimming, fishing, or

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ingesting it.
levels stay the same or are

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they getting worse or
getting better?

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panel takes questions from
people who have written

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them on index cards.
>> The rumor is that there

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were some illegal dumping
that caused this. Is that

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true or not true?
>> From the third row,

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retired nurse Jean Peterson,
who lives on the first lake

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portion of the Moen Lake
Chain, pushes for the

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answers she needs.
>> I just believe knowledge

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is power.
>> The DNR confirms that

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former owners of the paper
mill, now called Ahlstrom

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and Wausau Paper, are the
primary PFAS polluters in

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the area. They've notified
both companies and their

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previous owners, requiring
them to fund and clean up

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the contamination. In an
email statement in Ahlstrom,

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spokesperson tells me
they've received the

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notification and they're
carefully reviewing it.

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With the recent site
inspection report. The

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statement goes on to say,
we continue to actively

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engage as a partner with
the DNR, EPA and other

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agencies. Less than a mile
from Jean Peterson's home

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on the shores of Third Lake
and the other lakes, all is

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pretty quiet on shore and
on the water. Aside from a

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few boaters fishing and
cruising the lake. One day

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after that community
meeting, I meet Jean

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Peterson at the Oneida
County Courthouse in

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Rhinelander.
a matter of time before it

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was us.
>> She candidly tells me

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she worries about how PFAS
contamination will impact

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her health, and when the
time comes, the potential

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resale value of her home.
>> We had our well tested

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about 12 months ago, had
never heard of PFAS at that

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time, but we had our well
tested just in general and

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it came back fine. And we
drink bottled water.

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>> According to the DNR,
lengthy exposure to certain

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types of PFAS can lead to
an increased risk of cancer,

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developmental delays,
thyroid and heart issues,

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infertility and low birth
weights in infants.

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Residents are encouraged to
use bottled water or treat

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water that they consume.
>> First visit DNR, gov and

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search PFAS.
>> The DNR has created an

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interactive website where
people can search and learn

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if they're in one of the
PFAS contaminated zones in

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Wisconsin.
>> And around the map. To

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learn about PFAS in your
area or search an address

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in the box above.
>> You can zero in on your

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own address or neighborhood
to get details on testing

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and its results. Jean
Peterson and others learned

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there are thousands of
types of man made PFAS in

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things like nonstick
cookware, plastic wrappings,

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microwave popcorn bags,
waterproof clothing and

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foam commonly used in
airport fire trucks.

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>> I have a spring on my
land. What do I need to do

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to get it tested.
>> At that community town

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hall? At times, each answer
leads to more questions.

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on my fields for years and
years and years. I lived on

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that field. I grow
vegetables in my garden,

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which turned out really
good this year. But now I

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have concerns about
consuming those vegetables

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because we water with our
well water. We, you know,

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we we planted them in the
soil that that our property

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sits on. And in addition to
that, I least out my land.

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And so corn is grown on
that land. I think that

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corn goes to feed cattle
and livestock. Are the

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cattle in livestock now
consuming that corn?

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>> What is the plan for
when the $125 million that

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has been sitting there year
one, year two unspent.

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>> In Madison, state
lawmakers have set aside

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$125 million to help pay
for cleaning up PFAS

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contaminated sites across
the state, a drop in the

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bucket of what will be
needed.

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perfect wording for that,
so it includes all the

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landowners that actually
are innocent.

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>> For now, the funds are
on hold as lawmakers hash

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out language in the bill
that protects the

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environment and protects
farmers, families and

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business owners from
liability and the

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anticipated astronomical
costs of cleanup.

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>> Wisconsin has done an
excellent job under the

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spills law for decades, and
but it does need funding.

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>> Community groups
representing municipalities

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and environmental groups
from all over the state

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came here to weigh in on
the conversation.

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>> You don't have to treat
the water, to do your

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laundry, to do your dishes,
to flush your toilet. But

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you should be treating the
water that you're using for

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food preparation and for
drinking water.

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situation, the state is
footing the bill to test

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and redrill some private
wells. People are already

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drinking bottled water and
some are paying for the

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testing of their own wells,
something Casey Crump

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believes his small
community might have to do

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if they want the water
quality here to get better

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before it gets worse.
>> We're willing to step up

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and we're willing to do
and we're willing to do