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Utility officials said Thursday they’ve contacted four landowners at two potential sites 10 miles east of Genoa in Vernon County, asking permission to do soil and water testing to see whether either is suitable for an ash landfill.
Dairyland said it needs an off-site landfill for about 225,000 cubic yards of ash per year, as the result of new pollution control equipment being installed this year and in the future in Genoa. It’s part of $250 million in new environmental controls the company plans at its Genoa and Alma, Wis., plants.
While the landfill itself would be 55 to 75 acres, Dairyland wants to acquire about 600 acres to provide a buffer, said Wendy Berndt, Dairyland’s project manager. Eleven landowners could be affected at each site.
The two sites being considered are on the north side of Hwy. 56 in the town of Harmony, Berndt said. Two other finalist sites southeast of Genoa near Red Mound are “not under consideration at this time,” she said.
Dairyland spokeswoman Deb Mirasola they’re offering property owners compensation for permission to do the testing. If owners don’t agree, the utility has the option of using condemnation under state law.
“Dairyland has a policy of historically avoiding condemnation wherever possible, and it is our sincere hope we can reach voluntary agreements,” Mirasola said. “When the testing is complete, we will ask the (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) to approve the site, and then seek voluntary purchases from landowners if DNR approval is given.”
Dairyland estimates it could take up to four years to complete the landfill siting and permitting process, with actual construction taking up to one year, she said.
Currently, 80 percent of ash from Genoa is recycled in concrete and roads, with the rest being taken to an ash landfill near Dairyland’s coal plant in Alma.
Mirasola said new pollution control equipment at Genoa, including a filter baghouse, will greatly improve air emissions from the plant, but also will create more ash waste. And because lime is used to remove sulfur dioxide and mercury, the resulting ash can’t be recycled in concrete anymore.
Berndt said a consultant looked at many options and up to 75 possible sites within 25 miles of the Genoa plant. They also considered using La Crosse County’s landfill, which has a special section for ash. However, they decided trucking the ash to La Crosse would be six to seven times more expensive than building their own landfill, she said.
La Crosse County Solid Waste Director Brian Tippetts said he doesn’t know whether it would be feasible to bring Dairyland’s ash to La Crosse. Tippetts said Dairyland’s consultant overestimated the tipping fees; however, the amount Dairyland needs to dispose of “far exceeds what we get from Xcel Energy and the ash monofill as it is currently constructed would be too small for such an influx of ash.” He said he’d be open to further discussions with Dairyland.
Reid Magney can be reached at (608) 791-8211 or rmagney@lacrossetribune.com.
