An environmental group called Midwest Environmental Advocates on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop what it calls ongoing water pollution in Tarrant Lake near the Didion Ethanol plant in Cambria.
The group previously filed notices of intent to sue Didion as well as Utica Energy in Oshkosh alleging that the companies have a combined total of nearly 5,000 documented violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
Karen Schapiro, executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, previously said about 2,000 of those violations are alleged to have been committed by Didion Ethanol.
Dale Drachenberg, vice president of operations for Didion Ethanol, said previously the charges are without merit and that "we have been and will continue to keep the Department of Natural Resources fully informed of our efforts to assure that the watershed is protected."
The Didion action is being filed on behalf of about six citizens in Cambria. The Cambria Village Board — which has discussed the wastewater situation at its last three monthly meetings — is not a party to the suit.
Neither is Cambrians for Thoughtful Development, an organization that has long challenged Didion's environmental practices in Cambria.
The notice of intent to sue alleged that Didion's wastewater discharge contains excessive levels of chlorine, zinc, phosphorus and other pollutants, which are emptied into streams that eventually empty into Tarrant Lake.
Schapiro said in February that the federal suit would be based on incidents of noncompliance that Didion has acknowledged, as well as allegations that Didion did not keep records or perform tests that are required by the DNR permit.
