The Friends of Starkweather Creek are very concerned with large amounts of PFAS chemicals that for decades have been continuously leaking into our creek from the Dane Co Airport and into the downstream Yahara Lakes. These chemicals come from many years of outdoor training with fire-fighting foams made with PFAS,  releasing them to the grounds very near the creek. The PFAS have also flowed deep into our local drinking water aquifer, causing the Madison Water Utility to install an expensive PFAS filtration system into Well 15 about a mile from the airport. We are also very concerned that fish in Starkweather Creek and the downstream Lakes and Yahara River have shown to be highly contaminated with PFAS chemicals.

Although the Wisconsin DNR has taken measurements to determine PFAS contamination levels in the creek and Yahara Lakes, we wanted to independently monitor the creeks and lakes over time to possibly show any trends in the levels found.  So we have taken samples to measure PFAS in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

In 2024, we sampled 20 surface water locations around Dane Co to get base levels in the creek and lakes and compare to other local water bodies. We found extremely high PFAS levels in the West Branch of Starkweather Creek just below the Airport and levels just above DNR standards in Lakes Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa, as well as in the Madison Sewage District outfalls (Badfish and  Badger Mill Creeks).  Lake Mendota and other Dane Co locations showed very low levels. You can read background info and a detailed report on the 2024 results.

In fall 2025, we repeated taking samples in Starkweather Creek, Lakes Mendota, the downstream lakes and the Madison Sewage District outfall (now just Badfish Creek).  PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek just below the Airport were still very high, but below those found in 2024.  The Yahara Lakes and MMSD outfall were at about the same levels.  Details of our 2025 measurements are posted HERE,

In fall 2026 we repeated sampling PFAS in the same locations as 2025, as well as sampling Lake Wingra and Madison drinking water.  Once again we found reduced levels in the Starkweather Creek’s West Branch below the Airport. Downstream Lakes Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa and the MMSD outfall at Badfish Creek remained about the same, and Lakes Mendota and Wingra were near zero. A single sample taken of Madison drinking water was also near zero, well below state and federal standards. 

You can also view an Interactive map displaying our sampling results and those from WDNR.  

Of course, these results only display very limited, individual measurements of PFAS pollution in Dane Co waters and are affeced by weather and water flow. Only long-term, repeated sampling and analysis could accurately show how the pollution levels are changing.

We hope that our measurements represent a real reduction of PFAS releases from Dane Co Airport, possibly due to a project funded by Dane Co intended to degrade and confine PFAS at the Airport grounds.

We continue to call for detailed study of this local PFAS problem, greater public education on PFAS levels in the waters and fish and the hazards they present to our community’s health.  

You can help support our PFAs monitoring work by donating at:

For more information, please contact:
Lance Green. Co-Chair, Friends of Starkweather Creek. 608-249-5979