Tag Archives: Water Quality

Dane County Launches Innovative Pilot Project to “Clean the Green”

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Lake Waubesa

Today, Dane County launched a pilot project designed to help reduce phosphorus pollution entering the county’s Yahara chain of lakes. This project uses the innovative phosphorus rules that Clean Wisconsin helped pass in 2010 and upon successful completion, will serve as a model for cleaning waters across the state.

Following is a video explaining phosphorus pollution and the pilot project, as well as our press release on today’s announcement.

Dane County Announces Project to Clean Up Lakes     

Pilot project is first to use innovative phosphorus rules, could become model for nation

 

MADISON – Dane County leaders announced the creation of a pilot project today that will use tools provided in Wisconsin’s recently passed phosphorus rules to clean up the county’s lakes.

“By allowing farmers and municipalities to work together to clean up phosphorus pollution, Wisconsin’s phosphorus rules offer an entirely new approach that holds great promise to fix Dane County’s decades-old water quality problems,” said Melissa Malott, water program director at Clean Wisconsin and chair of the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission.

The smelly and unsightly algae blooms that plague many Wisconsin waters every summer are primarily the result of phosphorus pollution. Phosphorus pollution comes from two main sources: farm fields and point sources such as municipal sewerage districts and food processing factories. Previous laws have treated these sources as separate entities, requiring point sources to install expensive technologies. The adaptive management program of the phosphorus rules allows point sources to instead work with farmers to achieve even larger pollution reductions at a lower cost.

“Everyone wins under Wisconsin’s adaptive management program,” said Malott. “Point sources avoid installing expensive technologies, farmers receive financial assistance to make improvements that reduce pollution running off their farm fields, and residents get to look forward to a future of cleaner lakes.”

Wisconsin’s adaptive management program is a first-of-its-kind in the nation. Dane County leaders are optimistic that this pilot project will become a model for cleaning up waters throughout the state and across the nation.

“Through this project, we hope to clean up Dane County’s lakes, and show other communities across the state that the phosphorus rules provide a cost-effective way to clean up our lakes, rivers and streams,” said Malott. “If successful, Wisconsin’s innovative phosphorus rules could become a model for states struggling with water quality issues across the nation.”

Taylor’s Travels: Interviewing Lake Michigan Beachgoers

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Clean Wisconsin guest blogger, Taylor Lundberg reports on the health of Lake Michigan.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Illinois Beach State Park on Lake Michigan in northern Illinois, right near the Wisconsin-Illinois border. While on the beach, I interviewed some beachgoers about their sentiments towards the Great Lakes, and a couple of the people I talked to that day were very concerned about the role that invasive species would play in the future health of the Great Lakes.

The first person I spoke with said that her biggest concern was, “the problem of invasive species. The Asian carp and the zebra mussels… those zebra mussels are devastating. Both of those invasive species are absolutely devastating the population of the native species, so that is probably my biggest concern.”

The other beachgoer I talked to had the similar statements about his concerns: “I’m most concerned about keeping the lakes healthy. With the Asian carp and the zebra mussels coming in on those barges from the Atlantic, all the invasive species dominating the indigenous species concern me. We’ve got to come up with a way to fix it, to stop all the invasive species from getting into our lakes.”

Zebra mussels and their close cousin the Quagga mussel, are being introduced into the Great Lakes through ballast water, which is excess water carried by ships to maintain stability. These mussels reduce ingredients vital to Great Lakes food webs and contribute to algal bloom. Asian carp are making their way into the Great Lakes through the Mississippi river and various Illinois waterways. In Illinois rivers, Asian carp are killing off native fish populations as well as posing a risk to boaters by jumping in the air when boats disturb them.

Check out some invasive species facts below*:

  • One study found that the cost of aquatic invasive species to the Great Lakes region is approximately $5 billion each year
  • Invasive species taint Wisconsin’s beaches, cause harm to both recreational and commercial fishing, severely disrupt the Great Lakes food chain, and can lead to the regional extinction of certain species
  • In the Great Lakes alone, more than 180 exotic species have been identified, and approximately every 28 days a new species is discovered

One of the beachgoers said that the biggest thing she loved about Lake Michigan was, “the peacefulness of the lake, the fresh air, and the relaxing feeling I get from coming here.” It is up to us to protect Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes from turning into a foreign area where invasive species can prosper. In order to help mitigate this issue, we can encourage the education of boat owners, bait shops, and others about the causes and dangers of invasive species.

-Contributed by Taylor Lundberg

*all facts retrieved from Great Lakes, Great Shores Report

 

Mining Legislation Seeks to Gut Environmental Protections and Public Input Process

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A bill was released late yesterday that seeks to fast-track the approval process for iron mines such as the 22-mile-long mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite in Northern Wisconsin.

The bill is riddled with provisions that cause us great concern at Clean Wisconsin.  Here is a copy of the press release that we sent out this afternoon:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2011

Proposed Bill Would Gut Environmental Review and Public Input Process for Proposed Iron Mines

MADISON – A 186-page bill released yesterday seeks to fast-track iron mine projects in Wisconsin by making the expansion of mining a state policy, slashing opportunities for public input and eliminating environmental protections.

“This bill was written by the mining industry to gut the environmental review and public input process for proposed mines,” said Katie Nekola, attorney for Clean Wisconsin. “It serves the interests of wealthy out-of-state mining developers who contribute heavily to political campaigns at the expense of Wisconsin’s Northwoods.”

The bill would allow dumping toxic mine waste in floodplains, near rivers and lakes, and near the boundaries of neighboring properties. It would eliminate the requirement that the application includes an assessment of the risks of soil erosion, flooding, pollution of ground or surface water, damage to public health or threats to public safety.

In a telling statement, the bill admits that “it is probable that mining those deposits will result in adverse impacts to areas of special natural resource interest and to wetlands.” The bill includes a “legislative finding” that this environmental destruction is “presumed to be necessary.”

“Mining companies know that their operations can’t meet Wisconsin’s legal standards for environmental protection, so they’re working to get rid of those protections and shut the public out of the process,” said Nekola.

The release of the bill comes as the mining company Gogebic Taconite conducts exploratory drilling in the Penokee Range, located at the headwaters of the Bad River near Ashland. The company has leased the mineral rights to 22,000 acres in order to construct an open-pit iron ore mine there.

“Approving a strip mine in a region known for Class A trout streams, high-quality wetlands, pristine parks and national forests without thorough environmental analysis and the opportunity for the public to have a voice is outrageous,” said Nekola. “Instead of trying to rewrite our laws to accommodate polluters, we should ensure that they operate within current law.”

For a brief summary of the provisions included in the bill, please visit www.cleanwisconsin.org

 

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Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. 608-251-7020, information@cleanwisconsin.org, www.cleanwisconsin.org.

Proposed Northern Wisconsin Mine Warrants Concern

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The mining company known as Gogebic Taconite is busy selling the economic benefits of its proposed 22-mile-long strip mine in Northern Wisconsin, while understating the environmental risks such a mine would bring.

As John Muir once said, “Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded,” and the mining company is using this logic to sell its proposal to the public.

The front page of today’s Wisconsin State Journal reads “Mine seen as economic boon.” The subhead reads “But the taconite proposal first must pass environmental muster.”  The article focuses on the 2-3 thousand jobs that the company claims the mine would create in Northern Wisconsin, then mentions some ambiguous environmental threats the mine would bring.

Because an environmental impact study has not yet been conducted, it is difficult to determine precisely how dangerous the proposed mine would be, but there is certainly reason for concern.  Just a few of these concerns include:

  • Past shaft and pit mines in the Lake Superior basin have impacted ecosystems through deforestation, erosion and sedimentation, acid drainage and industrial development.
  • The Bad River Watershed (that drains the area the mine is proposed in) contains 72 rare and endangered plants and animals.
  • The Bad River empties into Chequamegon Bay through 16,000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and sand dune ecosystems, is one of the largest undeveloped freshwater estuaries in the world, and is home to waterfowl, songbirds and several species of fish.
  • The mining company has said it would need to construct a 300 megawatt power plant to provide for the energy needs of the plant.  It has told local officials that it would like to use coal, which emits extremely high levels of pollution.
  • The mining operation itself would likely entail significant emissions of silica, asbestos, and dust.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the environmental threats that the mine could bring, but it is more than enough to raise considerable concern about the project.  Northern Wisconsin’s pristine environment is one of our state’s most valuable economic assets, and it helps drive a tourism industry that supports 300,000 jobs in the state.

As Gogebic Taconite moves forward with its proposal, we will be watching carefully at Clean Wisconsin to make sure that the company and state officials adequately address these important concerns.

-contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist