Dane County’s Dragon Dredge (John Hart Photos, Wisconsin State Journal)
“Dragon Dredge’ starts work on next phase” by Emily Hamer in today’s Wisconsin State Journal begins:
“Dane County on Thursday officially started the second phase of its multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort to alleviate flooding in the Yahara chain of lakes by continuing to suck muck out of the Yahara River. The second phase of the project focuses on an 11-mile stretch of the Yahara River from Lake Waubesa to Lower Mud Lake. County officials hope to remove 52,000 cubic yards, or more than 4,000 dump truck loads, of sediment out of the river.”
Four thousand dump truck loads of sediments?!? Given the Starkweather Creek, Yahara Lakes and fish PFAS data released by DNR from 2019-2021, the county and DNR certainly know that this muck is likely chock full of poison PFAS–especially the most toxic and persistent long-chain compounds like PFOS that tend to stick to muck (and build up in fish).
In fact, in April 2020, a DNR official asked if “PFAS concerns” were “under control” with the county sediment sucking project. Her DNR colleague responded that “[t]he phase one PFAS issues have been addressed and determine we could not require PFAS testing of sediment. If sediment samples are found at a later date that contain PFAS in sediment, then county would be responsible for remediation of this dredge material according to RR program.”
I asked DNR officials back in February of this year if they had asked Dane County to test PFAS levels in the first phase of muck sucking. They said no. I asked if they would do so for the second phase. They didn’t answer. Was PFAS ever tested in any muck? Or did DNR exempt Dane County from state laws?
Either way, as we asked back in March, where will the toxic muck the Dragon Dredge sucks up and spits out go? We know there are no easy answers for where to put PFAS-contaminated sediments or other media. Still, shouldn’t whoever receives it at least have data on how much PFAS is in it? Isn’t this information essential to determining the most appropriate, least harmful place for it in the first place? Making this decision informed with data would be the responsible–and scientific–approach.
Apparently not here in Dane County. Instead–unless we are missing something, or information is being withheld from us–Mr. Parisi and DNR are choosing to stick their heads in the toxic muck. Meanwhile others with political clout here–corporate greenwasher Clean Lakes Alliance, and state environmental groups like Clean Wisconsin and Sierra Club–are silent. County supervisors? As far as we can tell, they have also been silent. They aren’t even raising questions.
Does anybody care?
