An analysis of water quality test data by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental organization, showed that, between 1998 and 2002, water utilities detected 118 contaminants in 1,089 communities across the state.

Of those 118 contaminants, 60 were in excess of federal health standards.

One Wisconsin city, Green Lake, was ranked as being the worst community in the nation for levels of manganese, the mineral that has so plagued Madison in recent months.

In Green Lake, about 85 miles northeast of Madison, tests showed levels of manganese in drinking water at 16,300 parts per billion. The Environmental Protection Agency's health standard for manganese is 300 parts per billion.

If you are concerned about the water you drink, no matter where you live in Wisconsin, there are places you can turn for information.

The best place to start, if you get your water from a public water system, is your local utility.

Each utility is required by the EPA to file an annual report on the results of its water-testing program for the previous year. The report must show the minimum and maximum levels of contaminants measured in the utility's wells.

Utilities mail copies of the report to their customers early each summer. Many utilities, such as the Madison Water Utility, also make the reports available online.

Your local water utility also probably has a telephone number designated for calls related to water quality in your community.

You can also access water quality reports for all the state's public water utilities online through the state Department of Natural Resources. Its Web site is www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/ water/dwg/.

If you are among the two-thirds of Wisconsin residents who get their water from one of 750,000 private wells, the DNR Web site also contains information about contaminants in private wells and how to arrange to test them.

The Madison Water Utility will pay for home tap water testing if it is part of investigating a problem.

The utility will also provide free testing for manganese upon request, if there is a baby 6 months or younger or a person with liver problems living in the home. •

Worried about your water? Here's who to contact To find out what's in your water, visit the state Department of Natural Resources Web site at www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/ water/dwg/. If you live in Madison and have a question about your water, you can call the Madison Water Utility at 266-4654 or go to the utility's Web site at www.madisonwater.org/ index.html.