Arboretum Neighborhood Association

The residences within the Lake Forest area of our neighborhood currently receive their water supply from the Lake Forest Water Co op. Residences in the Forest Park area are connected to private wells. **The Lake Forest Water Co op is managed by an elected Board of Directors which is a unique entity from and not to be confused with the elected Board of Directors of the Arboretum Neighborhood Association.

Read below for more information about the Lake Forest Water Co op.

Information & FAQ

Where does your water come from?

The Lake Forest Water Cooperative Association, Inc. provides water for the Lake Forest Neighborhood (the area between Carver and Martin Streets). The Coop was founded in 1943 by neighborhood residents, and all property owners in the neighborhood who have paid for water are members.  The Coop has supplied good water at a low cost for 80 years.

We have two wells in pump houses near the west end of Carver and Martin Streets.  Well number 1 is 147 feet deep and well number 2 is 253 feet deep.  The water is distributed through iron and copper pipes, though a few houses built in the 1920s have lead-ins of lead.  Our water is pure, untreated well water which is tested regularly for quality by an operator certified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  We meet all State standards and our water is some of the purest in the State (https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/).  A DNR report on our water quality can be found at http://lakeforestwater.org.

.What are our water rates?

As you know this neighborhood is now in the City of Madison as of Oct. 31, 2022.  The Coop will continue to provide the water to the Lake Forest area of the Arboretum Neighborhood.  (The Forest Park area receives its water from private property wells).  Unlike most municipal water utilities, we don’t have water meters (except for the BP station), so we charge a flat rate per unit per year.  For those residents in Lake Forest, the City municipal services bill which you are now receiving does not include water. 

The City does provide our sewer service which they bill through the monthly Municipal Services bill.  Since our water use is not metered, the City will charge a flat sewer rate.  Prior to Oct. 31, 2022, while this neighborhood was still under the Town of Madison, the sewer charge had been added to property tax bills.

 Is our water chlorinated or fluoridated?

No, our water is not treated with chlorine, fluoride, or any other substance or additive

What about outages?

On rare occasions we need to shut off the water to fix a break or a leak.  When pressure is lost in our system there is an extremely small possibility of contamination, and, for complete safety, the DNR requires us to issue a boil water notice.  We have distributed paper notices in the past but it will be much more efficient if we can email or text you.  A number of you have already provided contact information, but, if you haven’t, we ask that you provide it via emailing admin@lakeforestwater.org.  We guarantee that your information will only be used for announcements from the coop and not be shared with any others.

How is the Coop managed?

Routine operation and maintenance of the pump houses and system has been carried out for a number of years by our neighbor Ron Slane.  Ron has retired from active work as of 2024. The Slane family have been mainstays in the coop since its beginning when the pump house keys were handed to Kenneth Slane in 1941. Ron, along with all the Slane family, deserve immense gratitude for their many years of service.  Recently another neighbor, Mark Haines, has been assisting Ron and he now ably oversees the routine maintenance of the system and responds to any emergencies. Recently we contracted with Kari-Ann Killian to handle the regular testing of water quality.

As an incorporated cooperative association we are regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Financial institutions and have a volunteer Board of Directors .  The board handles administration, billings and payments to suppliers, and considers any expenses needed to continue the supply of safe and reliable water.  The Directors are elected annually by the Coop members.

The current officers and Board of Directors are:

Gary Davis President 2018 Dickson Place gdavis@wisc.edu

Ren LaDassor Secretary 2210 Martin Street renladassor@gmail.com

Bill Elkington Director 1606 Martin Street zoanni@charter.net

Brent Valentine Vice-President 2037 Dunn Place brent@heartwoodtreecompnay.com

Zac Laundrie Treasurer

The Future

The Board of the Coop has concluded that the only reasonable way forward is to ask Madison Water Utility (MWU) to connect the neighborhood to its water system and replace that of the Coop. This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be a shock to you. Please visit http://www.lakeforestwater.org where we will try to explain the reasons and the transition process as well as to answer any questions you have.