While Kristen Hanneman was living in Stella, Wisconsin, she accepted a state offer to test the private drinking well outside her home—an early step that later became a point of rupture for her family and neighbors. Months after the test results, Hanneman was told by a state toxicologist to stop drinking the water, because PFAS levels in her well were thousands of times higher than federal drinking water limits, and because PFAS can accumulate in the body and persist in the environment.
PFAS, often described as “forever chemicals,” resist breaking down and can build up in the liver, kidneys and blood, according to research discussed in the reporting. The AP story says research has linked PFAS exposure to increased risk of certain cancers and developmental delays in children, and it notes that the chemicals have contaminated not only drinking water but also outdoor food sources in some affected areas, changing guidance on whether fish and deer should be eaten and how often.
The contamination’s reach is amplified by a gap in who gets routine testing. AP reports that while federal limits apply to water provided by utilities, they do not directly cover the roughly 40 million people in the U.S. who rely on private drinking wells. Short of a random test like the one offered to Hanneman’s household, the article says, many residents do not learn their water is tainted with chemicals that are odorless and colorless.
In Stella, the inquiry into how PFAS infiltrated groundwater under sandy soil eventually pointed investigators toward a paper mill about 10 miles away in Rhinelander that produced greaseproof paper products. AP reports that the mill specialized in paper for microwave popcorn bags and that its manufacturing process generated waste sludge spread on farm fields in and around Stella starting by 1996, with state approval for decades. Wisconsin officials now suspect PFAS in the sludge seeped into groundwater reserves that feed local lakes, streams and residential wells, leaving the problem hidden until well testing spread.
The AP reporting also describes how responsibilities and timelines can fracture when contamination spans multiple actors and decades of approvals. Rhinelander’s utility tested for PFAS beginning in 2013 to comply with federal rules, and by 2019 it shut down two utility-owned public wells to protect customers, while in Stella some well owners learned their water was unsafe only last year. Hanneman’s family later joined an effort to sue the paper mill’s owners and PFAS manufacturers, with plaintiffs alleging property damage and medical claims tied to contaminated groundwater and with the companies denying responsibility.
Even where testing expands, the reporting shows that cleanup can remain slow and household-specific. The AP story says scientists and officials consider PFAS removal possible only with costly filters that must be monitored and replaced, and that some families choose to drill deeper wells, connect to municipal water, or buy bottled water. In Stella, AP reports that the family is still using bottled water provided by the state, and it notes that some grant funding to drill deeper wells has been limited by household income rules, with a typical maximum award far below the cost estimates for new wells.
The reporting frames Stella’s experience as part of a broader pattern in which states vary widely in how aggressively they test and fund fixes for private wells. AP says at least 20 states do not test private wells for PFAS outside areas where problems are already suspected, based on a survey of state agencies. It also describes other states that have tested far more widely—such as New Hampshire, which AP reports has tested over 15,000 wells and offers rebates—contrasted with states where residents are left to seek relief with limited budgets or delayed investigations.
AP also describes uneven accountability in other communities. In Peshtigo, Wisconsin, the article says PFAS were detected in wells downstream from a fire technology plant owned by Tyco and Johnson Controls manufacturing firefighting foam, and it describes a dispute over how far the responsibility extended, with some well owners outside agreed testing areas potentially facing costs out of pocket. In North Carolina, AP says Wilmington StarNews reported in 2017 that PFAS from a Chemours chemical plant were washing into the Cape Fear River and contaminating water supplies, and that after being sued the company agreed to test nearby wells and treat them, with the testing process expanding over years.
For residents trying to make immediate decisions about health and safety, the reporting underscores how uncertainty can persist even after contamination is confirmed. At an October meeting in Stella, AP says state employees described a risk but said they could not offer unlimited free tests, and that residents seeking tests immediately would have to pay. AP also reports that Wisconsin officials said they offered cost-free PFAS sampling for well owners within three miles of Stella and to many beyond that distance, alongside guidance on treating contaminated water and accessing financial help, while the company and former company owners cited permits and compliance as defenses.
AP’s reporting ends by returning to the everyday burden of the PFAS timeline: in Stella, where some residents have paid for well replacements that later produced contaminated results, the crisis continues as a “new normal.” Hanneman’s family has spent years responding to the knowledge that a contaminated source can travel unpredictably underground, while state and federal evaluations—AP reports including consideration of Stella for Superfund inclusion and steps to expand well sampling—proceed on timelines that leave households waiting for certainty.