Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, November 08, 2007

Questions arise over how to dispose of power plant ash in Vernon County

By Tim Hundt | Lee Newspapers

VIROQUA, Wis. — While the debate rages about whether Dairyland Power Cooperative should have a landfill in Vernon County for holding power plant ash, ash already is being stored in an area quarry.

About 85 percent of the ash now produced at the Genoa, Wis., plant is recycled, with much of it used in road projects. The plant, however, could produce up to eight times more ash when new pollution controls are installed in 2009, which is why a 600-acre landfill is being considered in the western part of the county.

Scott Construction Co. of Lake Delton, Wis., now stores plant ash in a town of Viroqua quarry. While the ash legally can be stockpiled there, state and local officials were unaware that was being done.

Julie Hill, the Vernon County land and water conservation program manager who oversees quarry permitting in county, said she has no authority to regulate the quarries as long as permit requirements are met.

Hill said she learned about the stockpile in mid-October, when she did an inspection of the quarry. Having the ash there does not violate any local ordinances, she said, but concerns about its proximity to an area waterway prompted Hill to contact the state Department of Natural Resources.

Michael Miller, a DNR waste specialist, said no permit is required for storing such ash, which is considered Class II waste. It can be stored for up to two years before being placed on an “impervious” surface, he said.

After inspecting the site in late October and speaking with Scott Construction officials, Miller said he was satisfied with the measures taken to control runoff into the nearby waterway.

He was less satisfied with not being notified about the ash, he said. “I will be writing them a letter about that (notification), and I think it was just a miscommunication,” he said. “They (Scott) thought Dairyland was supposed to do it, and Dairyland thought Scott was supposed to do it.”

The lack of notification does not carry any penalty or fines, he said.

Don Huff, Dairyland’s director of environmental affairs, said the contractor has the responsibility to contact the DNR about the ash storage.

Scott Construction is the only contractor hauling the material from Genoa, Huff said.

Tim Hundt is a reporter for the Vernon County Broadcaster. For more about this story, see this week’s Broadcaster.