I am being forced to pay for investigating and remediating contamination caused by a dry cleaning operation that operated at 351 Russell Street, Madison, Wisconsin during the 60's and 70's. I was not told about the possibility of pollution when I bought the converted residential property in 1987. I lived there for 17 years before moving and turning the property into a residential rental.

     In 2015, the DNR asked to drill through my foundation to test for contamination. The DNR representative led me to believe if they found something they would pursue the original polluters but when the results came back I was immediately named the "responsible party" and told I was liable for all further costs for investigating and remediating the site. This has already cost me more than I originally paid for the property and I am told could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more. I am a semi retired musician living on a pension and social security. The DNR's demands are unreasonable and there is no cap on what they might demand. 

       Bipartisan supported innocent buyer protection legislation was introduced in both the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly in 2017 but was never voted on due to objections that such legislation would need a funding element.. Many states and the federal government have protections for people who unknowingly obtained contaminated property if they exercised due diligence when purchasing the property. Wisconsin does not.

        After 34 years of being a good citizen and paying my taxes I am facing financial ruin for something I in no way contributed to while other former dry cleaning sites face no demands simply because they did not respond to the DNR's initial request for testing. Those sites continue to change ownership with no mention of any contamination issues on the listings while I not only can not sell my property, I can't give it away without still being liable for the cleanup.