Wisconsin Environmental Law Advocates v. DNR (Contested Case Challenges to WPDES Permits for Grande Cheese Company and Protient, Inc.)

 Background: In June of 2006, the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) issued water pollution discharge permits to Grande Cheese Company and Protient, Inc. Together these permits will increase the total amount of phosphorus and biological oxygen demand (“BOD”) discharged into North Fork Juda Branch. These permits also fail to ensure that the permitted discharges will not further degrade the already impaired Creek and pristine downstream waters in Sylvester Creek, one of Wisconsin’s Exceptional Resource Waters.

The North Fork Juda Branch Creek is already impaired by low dissolved oxygen levels caused by BOD and phosphorus, yet these two new discharge permits allow even more of these pollutants to be discharged into the river.  Rather than improving the quality of the impaired North Fork Juda Branch Creek as required by state and federal law, DNR’s issuance of these permits increase the potential for additional problems in this waterway, including increased algae blooms. Algae blooms are caused, in part, by high phosphorus concentrations in the water.  

Conservationists Challenge DNR Decision to Issue Water Pollution Permits to Already Fouled Creek, Call on DNR to Prepare Clean-Up Plans for Polluted Rivers and Lakes in Wisconsin
Press Release
August 15, 2006