Hearing for Proposed Modification of Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

December 18 - Pursuant to § 283.49, Wisconsin Statutes, a public hearing on a proposed modification of Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Permit No. WI-0059315-02-1 for Emerald Dairy, LLC, located at N 1/2 NEQ Sec 22 T30N R16W, Emerald Township, St. Croix County will be held at 1 p.m. at the St. Croix County - Agricultural Service and Education Center located at 1960 8th Avenue, Suite 140, Baldwin. Discharge is to a wetland tributary to Dry Run Creek in the Lower Willow River Watershed of the St. Croix River Basin. Emerald Dairy is a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) that houses approximately 1600 milking and dry cows (2240 animal units). Emerald Dairy has constructed a manure treatment system consisting of a digester and several solids separation technologies including ultra filtration and reverse osmosis and is treating a portion of the manure produced at the site. The discharge from the treatment system is currently stored in the existing manure storage facility at the site and land applied in accordance with its existing WPDES permit. In the future, Emerald Dairy would like to discharge the treated effluent from the treatment system to surface waters on a recurring basis. The treatment system is primarily intended to treat manure from the existing freestall barns at the site. Other sources of manure (e.g., bed pack and other sources of solid manure) will still be stored and land applied. As part of its effort to obtain authorization to discharge to surface waters, Emerald Dairy has applied for alternative discharge limitations which would allow the operation to discharge 30,000 gallons per day of reverse osmosis (RO) permeate from the manure treatment system to surface waters of the State in lieu of storing and land applying this wastewater. The Department proposes to modify the Emerald Dairy permit to include these alternative discharge limitations on daily discharges from the operation which are based on the ability of the treatment system technology being used at the site to treat the manure. In addition, the permit also imposes discharge limits to protect water quality. People wishing to comment on or object to the proposed permit action are invited to do so by attending the public hearing or by submitting any comments or objections in writing to the Department of Natural Resources. Only those portions of the permit that have been modified are subject to public comments. More information, including a copy of the proposed permit, is available for downloading at the WPDES Public Notices web page or contact Michael Hammers, DNR, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921, (608) 267-7640, mike.hammers@wisconsin.gov.