Residents of Near East Side neighborhoods whose water needs were served by a well that was shut down because the water contained high levels of an industrial carcinogen say they have plenty of questions about the safety of their water and the fate of the contaminated well.

They will be looking for answers tonight at a neighborhood meeting scheduled by six area neighborhood associations. At issue is water quality and the city's plans for Well No. 3, the contaminated well.

"It's about the water," said resident Satya Rhodes-Conway. "This is what's coming out of people's taps. It's what they drink. They're giving it to their kids. And they're concerned about what's in it."

The well, one of the city's oldest, has been closed because of high levels of carbon tetrachloride, an industrial carcinogen. Tests of water from the well have also shown high levels of manganese, a naturally occurring mineral that can cause health problems if ingested at high enough levels.

Rhodes-Conway, responding to concerns she said she heard from many in the area, organized tonight's meeting. She's with the Eken Park Neighborhood Association, one of the associations that sponsored the meeting.

Officials from the Madison Water Utility, the city of Madison and the Public Health Department are expected to be on hand to discuss problems and answer questions about both contaminants in the well and about what might happen to it.

Use of the well was curtailed this summer because of high manganese levels. It was turned off permanently in September after tests showed levels of carbon tetrachloride at 6.2 parts per billion, above the health standard of 5 ppb set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Utility officials said they don't foresee it being put back into operation.

Officials with both the utility and the state Department of Natural Resources said it is unlikely that water contaminated with high levels of carbon tetrachloride reached homes because the well was operated so infrequently over the summer.

Despite such assurances, Lilly Irvin-Vitella, with the East Isthmus Neighborhoods Planning Council, said she has heard from many residents who have questions.

"In talking with the neighborhoods, they've expressed a whole range of concerns - everything from 'Am I going to get cancer?' to 'How do I get my water tested?' to 'Why weren't we told about this sooner?'" Irvin-Vitella said. "These are all very legitimate questions and the city needs to hear them."

David Denig-Chakroff, general manager of the Madison Water Utility, has indicated the utility is considering three alternatives for the well, which was built in 1928. Those include abandoning the well entirely and relying on adjacent wells to serve the area, installing a filter, or drilling a well in the same area.

The preferred alternative, Denig-Chakroff has indicated, is to abandon the well and build a new well nearby, though that may be difficult because of contamination in the aquifer beneath the formerly industrialized area.

Such questions are likely to become familiar as the water utility struggles to provide clean water for a growing city. A master plan being considered by the utility calls for building a well every two years over the next 20 years.

Whatever the decision on Well No. 3, Rhodes-Conway and other neighborhood leaders said residents should be kept informed and involved in deciding how to proceed.

"It's absolutely appropriate for neighbors to have a role in talking about this," said Rhodes-Conway. "People need to know that something is going to be done. They need to know what that is and need to have a say before it's a done deal."

• If you go

What: Neighborhood meeting on water quality on the Near East Side and the city's plans for Well No. 3, now shut down because of contaminants.

When: 6 tonight.

Where: Cafeteria of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 2670 Milwaukee St.