Environmental groups push for phosphorous rules

Published: November 24, 2009
Tags: Department of Natural Resources, DNR, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Lawton, phosphorous, Thom, wastewater

By Sean Ryan

Public wastewater utilities argue they cannot afford projects to satisfy new phosphorous rules for water quality that environmental groups are demanding.

Seven environmental groups on Monday told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that they plan to sue the agency to force the EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to approve new phosphorous rules.

The rules would set lower limits on the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen that can leak into streams from construction sites and farmland, and lower the standards wastewater utilities and factories must satisfy to get a state permit.

“It’s been an ongoing problem,” said Betsy Lawton, interim executive director of the Midwest Environmental Advocates and attorney who wrote the EPA letter. “EPA and DNR have known for a while that phosphorous and nitrogen cause the sort of foul, stinky algae that you see in the waters during the summer.”

Wastewater treatment utilities are already required to limit phosphorous in water that leaves their plants, said Wally Thom, water and wastewater manager for Rice Lake Utilities, and president of the Municipal Environmental Group. But lower requirements would force expensive projects to build new filters on treatment plants, and it would not do much good in improving water quality, he said.

Instead of increasing the requirements on wastewater utility permits, state and federal government should instead go after farmers whose fertilizer and cows deposit phosphorous in streams, he said.

“If you put any type of filtration system on a mechanical treatment plant, you are talking about a million dollars, easy,” Thom said.

Close this Window Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks