Encore
Ready for an
Environmental cleanup protects City’s water supply, restores
heavily contaminated site of famed musical instrument maker
by Tom Paquin
A
fter the music died, the cleanup began.
Contamination at the former Getzen Company, which in its
day was a maker of some of the finest musical instruments in the
world, was extensive enough that it threatened the water supply
of the City of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The property, which has been
vacant since manufacturing ended in 1991, is within 300 feet of
two City wells.
Mark Drews, a hydrogeologist and project manager with the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), said the
contamination at the Getzen site was deeper than he has ever seen
in his 21-year environmental career. “The potential impact to the
City of Elkhorn was great,” Drews said. “Had the contamination
reached the wells, the water couldn’t be distributed to the residents
unless there was some kind of treatment.” The contamination also
threatened the long-term viability of the aquifer as a water supply.
The contamination also threatened private wells of nearby
property owners.
The manufacturing site encompasses 1.5 acres in an industrial
park on the south side of Elkhorn, about 45 miles southwest of
Milwaukee. Instruments such as trombones, trumpets, cornets,
and bugles were designed and manufactured at the Getzen
site between 1960 and 1991. Many well-known musicians got
involved with the design and promotion of Getzen instruments
Top: Rotosonic drilling is being performed during an assessment
at the former Getzen Company site in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, where
musical instruments were manufactured for more than three decades.
Bottom: A potassium permanganate mixture designed to destroy
ground contaminants through oxidation sits in holding tanks before
injection.
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