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

Published - Thursday, January 31, 2008

Dairyland Power questioned about mercury discharges

By RYAN STOTTS | La Crosse Tribune

When it comes to mercury, how many nanograms is too much?

That’s what the People for HOPE — Harmony Township Opposing Pollution of the Environment — wanted to know about state permits that were about to be renewed for Dairyland Power.

The group had circulated brochures claiming the power plants would double their output of mercury discharged into the Mississippi River.

That led to a public meeting Wednesday evening at the State Office building in La Crosse to give Dairyland officials a chance to explain.

The renewal permit, drafted and issued through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will allow the Genoa and Alma coal-burning power plants to have as much as 12 nanograms of mercury per liter of water discharged into the river. The plants use the water, much of it taken from the river, for cooling equipment.

That’s a variance of more than half over the current limit of 5.4 nanograms per liter, according to the group.

Jeff Brauer, the DNR’s permit drafter, told about 30 people at the meeting — many of them People for HOPE members — that a number of municipalities will need a variance because no current technology exists that can keep discharge levels as low as required by state regulations.

“Hopefully in five years, when the permit comes up for renewal again, the number will be down from 12,” Brauer said.

Don Huff, Dairyland’s director of environmental affairs, also read a statement that called information distributed about the plants’ planned mercury discharges “misleading.”

“... To the contrary, we are planning to reduce our discharges,” Huff said.

Dairyland aims to reduce its mercury output levels from 7 grams per year to 3 grams or less, Huff said. They’re developing new technologies to help with this, and while they show promise they are not ready yet, he said.

Mercury levels already in the river can skew the readings, Brauer added, but the DNR is working on that.

“We are still learning on how to set these low limits on the mercury levels we already find in the river,” Brauer said.

Scott Leum, a People for HOPE member, said he thought the meeting cleared up the confusion over the permits.

“I feel that Dairyland is in a difficult position,” Leum said. “They want to lower mercury levels, too.”

He said he was impressed the discussions remained congenial.

“There was no ill will on our part,” he said. “They actually appeared to have done their homework and answered our questions.”

Ryan Stotts can be reached at (608) 791-8446 or ryan.stotts@lee.net.