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Resident urges hearing on Daybreak Foods' wastewater 'aerolization' plan, citing health risks
Summary
A Lake Mills resident asked the council to request an in-person DNR hearing on Daybreak Foods' proposed permit renewal and aerial application of wastewater, raising concerns about airborne pathogens and algal toxins and urging the company to build on-site treatment in Lake Mills.
Anita Martin, a Lake Mills resident, asked the City Council on July 15 to seek an in-person Department of Natural Resources public hearing on Daybreak Foods plan to spray treated wastewater on nearby fields, saying airborne pathogens and algal-toxin exposure are potential risks and urging the company to build an on-site wastewater treatment facility in Lake Mills.
Martin told the council she represents neighbors in the Lake Mills community and described a proposal tied to Daybreak Foods' five-year DNR wastewater permit up for reissuance. She warned that the company plans to take wastewater from three ponds and apply it to fields in the Towns of Lake Mills and Atolan, potentially using spray equipment that could release material "from 20 to 30 feet in the air." Martin said a study in Florida suggested algal toxins could travel as far as 10 miles under light wind and listed pathogen concerns including MRSA and E. coli. "Isn't it time for Daybreak Foods, one of our nation's top three egg producers, to invest in its own wastewater treatment plant in Lake Mills?" she asked.
Why it matters: Martin framed the request as a public-health and local-control issue while the DNR prepares the draft reissued permit for public comment. She identified DNR contact Eric Struck and urged the council to ask for an in-person hearing when the draft permit is released.
Council response and context: The public comment was part of the meeting's public-comment period and no formal council action on the permit occurred that night. Staff noted the DNR is expected to release the proposed permit for public comment in the near future; if the council wants to seek an in-person hearing, that is a procedural request the city could make to the DNR rather than a city regulatory action. The resident cited Crossman Road as an example of local impacts moving beyond a facilitys immediate area.
What to watch: If the DNR posts the proposed reissued permit, the council and residents may request a local hearing and submit written comments; the DNR will set the hearing schedule and comment period.
