The city of Viroqua will act as the administrator for an area groundwater study slated to begin this summer.

The study will attempt to map local karst geology between Viroqua and Westby. The idea for the study grew out of discussions during the county comprehensive planning process regarding land use planning. The Viroqua City Council approved serving as the administrator for the study by a unanimous vote, Tuesday, Dec. 30., 2008.

Viroqua City Administrator Jeff Gohlke said a group of local residents is in the process of applying for a Nuzum grant to help pay for the study that will be conducted mostly with volunteer labor. Gohlke said the grant money, if obtained, would be used to offset some minor costs for things like mileage and printing.

Gohlke said the amount of the grant will not be known until it is granted but is likely to be less than $10,000. Gohlke said the city will act as the "fiscal agent" for the grant but there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for the city.

"There will be some benefit to the city by expanding our knowledge of what’s going on locally," Gohlke said. "This information will enable us to make good choices in regard to land use and to protect our ground water."

Local retired geologist Kalvin Rodolfo has agreed to volunteer his time to help run the study along with county comprehensive planning committee chairperson Lynn Chakoian. Gohlke said the Kickapoo Valley Authority, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the United States Geological Survey have also been involved with the proposal.

In previous meetings with city officials, Rodolfo said he will recruit graduate geology students to help with the study. Rodolfo said the study may employee some new technologies to examine the local karst geology and look for major features like caves and vertical fractures.

Alderman Gail Frie said the group will have some existing data to start from including DNR reports on core samples submitted by well drillers when new wells are drilled. Frie said he has helped the group obtain about 60 boxes of core sample from three wells drilled in the area being studied.

The study will focus on the area between Westby and Viroqua that has shown some evidence of high nitrates in the ground water and in some cases atrazine contamination.