MEJO and East Madison Community Center teens find significantly elevated PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek sediments
Earth Day 2020: Fifty years after first Earth Day, toxic environmental pollution still pervasive (Madison, Wis.)–New PFAS results, released before the COVID 19 lockdown, show significantly elevated levels of PFOS…
Low-income housing built on “environmental nightmare,” infectious agents
Was the site cleaned up before development? No. ****************** In the last three years, low income apartments, an assisted living facility, and several Habitat for Humanity homes have been constructed…
Superfund will not protect our waterways — or us — from the military’s toxic pollution
Maria Powell, Cap Times op-ed Photo above: Starkweather Creek going through Truax Field The final environmental impact statement (EIS) on basing F-35 fighter jets at Madison’s Truax Field states that…
The Final F-35 EIS is a total sham
The public comment process for the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for basing F-35s at Madison’s Truax Air National Guard base was not only token—it was a total sham. According…
Don’t kill the messenger: City water utility spokesperson falsely accuses media of bias
PFAS hits in Madison drinking water wells By Steven Verburg, for the Isthmus In a Jan. 16 guest column in Isthmus, a Madison city water utility spokesperson took a page…
Water Utility dismisses public concerns, puts public relations over public health
On January 9, 2020, the Isthmus published a cover story on PFAS: “The fight for safe drinking water; Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?” I commend…
High levels of PFAS found in Starkweather Creek, Lake Monona fish (gee, what a surprise!)
In October, 2018–after months of asking the city, county, and DNR to test fish in Starkweather Creek–we posted this article asking why nobody would test the fish. We had known…
The fight for safe drinking water: Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?
Graphic from ISTHMUS By Kori Feener, Isthmus Maria Powell used to believe that science would prevail. She co-founded the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization in 2005, hoping to draw attention to…
PFAS Task Force RIP
As we’ve experienced for twenty years in Madison, local government prefers to keep the public out of actions it takes–or does not take–regarding locally-occurring toxic pollution problems. The proposed Madison-Dane…
PFAS levels in creek are more than “concerning”
The PFOS amount in foam found in Starkweather Creek was 92,000 parts per trillion, far exceeding the laughable EPA advisory threshold level of 70 ppt. The mayor should be more…
Madison Mayor calls PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek foam ‘concerning’
Photo: Kids fishing from Starkweather Creek at the Olbrich boat launch in summer 2018 (Maria Powell) By Abigail Becker, Cap Times Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources confirmed Thursday high concentrations…
Madison residents increasingly alarmed by PFAS levels in local waterways
Photo: Starkweather Creek in the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood (Maria Powell). By Steve Elbow, Cap Times Lance Green has been collecting water samples from Starkweather Creek for years. As a volunteer for…
Northside News: Northside advocates address PFAS well and waterways dangers
The December/January issue of the Northside News has a front page article on MEJO’s work… Northside advocates address PFAS well and waterways dangers By Cora Wiese Moore Northside News Growing…
Toxic PFAS in Starkweather Creek, Madison Wisconsin; What is the public health agency doing to protect people from exposures? To engage the community?
Photo: Foam at the Starkweather Creek/Olbrich Park boat launch on October 24 (Wisconsin State Journal) Recent news about alarming levels of the highly toxic “forever chemicals” known as “PFAS” (per…