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Thread: WDNR/Cheese Co Destroyed my Creek...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Green Bay, Wi, USA
    Posts
    18

    Angry WDNR/Cheese Co Destroyed my Creek...

    A decade ago a local Cheese Company was allowed to dump it's effluent into a small ditch that leads to a branch of Krok Cr/West Twin river in NE Wisconsin...this permit allowed water to be discharged at a temp of 200 degrees F..the ditch enters the Creek on the other side of HWY 29 from where the headwaters are considered a Class I trout stream....several fish kills have occurred since then and it's permit was changed(DNR won't tell me how), after it was found Company also exceeded BOD 500 different TIMES!!! My land is several miles downstream from where the ditch enters the creek and objects in it have become covered with a brown algae and under that algae , rocks are covered with a "crusty" substance.....HEX hatches have stopped, I saw 1 dun several years ago and haven't seen the small swarms of "rusties" that I used to...also the added volume has caused increased flooding in spring and more bank erosion. Would any experts out there know of something that would be found in Cheese Co. effluent that would cause the crusty material on rocks and the brown algae to proliferate???

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    NW Arkansas
    Posts
    108

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    DNR meaning Department of Natural Resources? If so, you should be able to FOI about any info you want.
    Arkansas State Coordinator for Reel Recovery
    Board Member of Fly Fishing Federation Southern Council

  3. #3
    hutjensmpg Guest

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    I agree w/ ZHoyt. Get some Freedom of Info going on that and find out what they're allowed to flow and then go get a sample and send it to a lab. There could be a whole range of stuff in there - anything from leftover milk solids, process cheese ingredients like tsp, acid, lubricants, to cleaning chemicals.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Poulsbo, Washington State, U.S.A.
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    4,387

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    200 degrees "IS" thermal pollution. Get involved soon.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Green Bay, Wi, USA
    Posts
    18

    Thumbs down The 200 Degrees F...

    Was the temperature of discharge allowed in the original permit...after several fish kills they supposedly changed things, but they won't tell me because it has been in re-permitting stage for years...now how could the DNR allow such a limit when they knew it entered a Trout Stream...well, I'll answer that for you, because it was the only way to word the permit and allow the Cheese Co to comply with it...the fact that they exceeded the BOD 500(!!!) different times obviously shows they didn't know what was in the discharge...just shows how corrupt and useless the WDNR really is!!!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Poulsbo, Washington State, U.S.A.
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    4,387

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    My attitude often is, "It's never too late to do something." It may not be yet. Let some sunlight in.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    NW Arkansas
    Posts
    108

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    Here is some info on monitoring that area. I skimmed the article and it listed a few places I am sure you are familiar with. Also, you might try to contact the authors and speak with them. I would assume they work for the DNR. Also your local rep(from JOP to Congrees) would be worth contacting. They may not be able to do anything directly, but political power is amazing.

    Edit: Here is the link: http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/reports/final...nriver2001.pdf Looks like it is from '03.
    Last edited by zhoyt; 02-08-2009 at 07:38 PM.
    Arkansas State Coordinator for Reel Recovery
    Board Member of Fly Fishing Federation Southern Council

  8. #8

    Default

    Does your local TU chapter know about this. The sports writer of your local rag? Tell them. I'm agreeing with Castwell- again, it's not too late to do something.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Green Bay, Wi, USA
    Posts
    18

    Angry Read the DNR report..

    On the survey...how crazy is it that the effluent introduction from the Cheese Factory that has started since the last survey WASN'T EVEN MENTIONED and Krok Cr above St Peters Rd, the sight of cattle grazing for the last 15 years ALSO NOT MENTIONED...proof once again how TOTALLY WORTHLESS the DNR is.Politicians, landowners, and DNR personal have all been contacted and NOBODY does ANYTHING!!!!

  10. #10

    Default

    I'd suggest you don't start with a Freedom of Information Act request. I'd do some research first and then do a FOIA request. In Virginia the request does not need to be in writing (can be verbal or by e-mail) but I'd urge you to put it in writing and to be as specific as you can. The reason for the research is so you can be specific.

    I'd start by asking for (and it too is almost certainly public information) a copy of their NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit. There should be a copy in the files of the local DNR office and you should be able to walk in and get a copy. It may run from five pages to over 100 pages but my guess is it will be between 10 and 25 pages. Pay for a photo copy if you have to and take it home and read it. Ponder what to ask for next based on what you read.

    There should be some sort of Environmental Impact Assessment likely done by the cheese factory or their consultant. It may be referenced in the permit. There should be an evaluation of the dilution that is expected to occur and the ability of the stream to recover from the discharge. You never said what the five day BOD was that DNR permitted. If it's less than 30 mg/l (even with frequent modest violations) odds are you wouldn't see an impact (though there would be one) unless there is something else in the discharge. I've seen some astronomical permit limits (in the high hundreds) in Virginia associated with shellfish processing plants. If you see really high limits you're going to need some high powered help to get them reduced. See what you can find out about their flow limits and how many gallons per day they are discharging. Are they keeping within their limits or not?

    There isn't enough information to say what's causing the effects you're seeing but one thing that you need to consider as a likely cause are nutrients. Pay attention to the nitrogen and phosphorus limits in the permit. TSS (total suspended solids) might be an issue, too and of course BOD. I'd also look to see what the permitted and actual pH is being discharged and if by chance there's any requirement for a chlorine residual (usually this is associated with sewage treatment discharges). Unless there's effective dechlorination the fishery will go to h*ll in a hand basket because it'll kill off the fry.

    I'd call your regional EPA office - not sure which region your in but I'd talk to those folks. My experience has been there's a lot of bureaucracy in the EPA but there's a core of really dedicated folks too that like to find and fix problems. Look and keep looking for the right people.

    I'm inclined to think the facts are on your side and the neat thing is you can get the facts on your own. It takes work but the only way to win this sort of battle is with the facts. Document EVERYTHING you do. Keep a phone log of every call - date, time, who you talked to and what you discussed. Keep copies (hard copies and electronic ones) of everything you do (e-mail and snail mail). Photograph your creek and keep records of what you photographed, what you saw - times and dates. Any stream data you can collect should be recorded too - biological, chemical and physical data.

    This is pretty general advice but having been on the government side of the case for 33 years I can tell you, people that did what I described above and were persistent, tended to have better outcomes than folks who a more lax approach - even if they were politically connected. And that's something to consider. Your elected officials are there to serve you and if your DNR isn't serving you then by all means your state legislator should be given the facts.

    I hope that's helpful for starters.

    Greybeard

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