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A Dirtier Lake From Cleaner Fuel? Opponents Say Ethanol Plant Waste Not so Grand

Posted on: Sunday, 21 October 2007, 21:00 CDT

ST. MARYS, Ohio -- Grand Lake St. Marys has been a dumping ground for farm fertilizers, manure, sediment and human waste for decades.

The pollution that has turned its waters green with algae prompted Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Sean Logan to call the lake's plight "unacceptable" in June. That month, an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency report placed the man-made lake among the state's most polluted waters.

That's why some area residents and environmental advocates were upset to learn this month that the state had given an ethanol manufacturer permission to dump 323 million gallons of wastewater into the filthy lake each year.

"We can't imagine one more thing going into that lake," said Margi Moul, 60, a St. Marys resident who helped form a group called Citizens Acting Responsibly for the Environment.

The Ohio EPA granted the pollution permit to Mercer Energy. The company wants to build an ethanol plant a quarter-mile north of the lake, which straddles the Mercer-Auglaize county line about 85 miles northwest of Columbus.

Mercer Energy is one of 13 companies that have received or are seeking permits to build ethanol plants statewide.

Although officials tout the plants as sources of alternative energy and new jobs, and financial boons for farmers, environmentalists worry about the air and water pollution they can produce.

Officials with Mercer Energy say their plant won't harm the lake, and Ohio EPA officials say the wastewater won't increase pollution significantly or add to the lake's problems.

Dina Pierce, an EPA spokeswoman, said the heated wastewater will add minerals to the lake, not sewage or toxic chemicals. And Logan said last week that he trusts the EPA to protect the lake.

But something as simple as higher temperatures can change drastically the living conditions for fish and other aquatic wildlife, said Anthony Sasson, freshwater conservation coordinator for the Ohio Nature Conservancy.

"Even a few degrees are important," he said.

At more than 13,000 acres, Grand Lake St. Marys is Ohio's largest man-made lake. Completed in 1845 to supply water for the Miami-Erie canal, its waters now attract boaters and anglers. About 25,000 people live in its 112-square-mile watershed.

The lake also provides drinking water for the nearly 11,500 residents of Celina, just northwest of the lake. The EPA study said the waters are choked with fertilizers and manure from farms that dominate the lake's watershed, and with sewage from residential septic tanks.

None of 11 streams in the lake's watershed meets state standards for healthy water habitats.

Katie McKibben, an Ohio EPA specialist who helped produce the study, said the lake and the streams running into it are clogged with these pollutants, which feed the algae.

"There is a tipping point where the amount that's coming into the stream is more than the aquatic system can handle," she said. "In general, the watershed needs to reduce up to 90 percent of these nutrients."

A lot of the pollutants come with loose soil that washes off nearby farms and construction sites during storms. The Department of Natural Resources, which manages the lake as a state park, spends about $500,000 a year to dredge more than 100,000 cubic yards of eroded soil from feeder streams and channels.

Records show that the agency has spent more than $6.5 million on dredging since 1992. In all, it has spent $17 million over two decades to upgrade the park and lake.

"If we didn't (dredge), this lake would slowly fill up," said Craig Morton, park manager.

Mercer Energy plans to use well water to help cool equipment. A drainage pipe will dump it into the lake.

That wastewater is allowed to include as much as 4.1 million pounds of particles each year, including minerals and other materials.

Mercer's permit also allows the wastewater to reach 85 degrees during summer months and 70 degrees in the winter.

Warm water can promote algae growth, said Michelle Sharp, an EPA specialist who helped write the plant's permit. Algae can lower oxygen levels in water and affect fish and other wildlife.

Ryan Schwieterman, Mercer Energy's CEO, said his company has been conscientious and that the plant will not harm the lake.

He said the company hopes to start building the $125 million plant early next year. Mercer plans to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol at the plant each year.

Mike Ewall, founder of the Energy Justice Network, a Pennsylvania-based group that helps communities fight proposed ethanol plants, said pollution concerns outweigh any promises of cleaner fuels. That hasn't stopped states from trying to attract more plants with offers of low-interest loans and bonds.

"There is a whole new wave of these proposals out there," he said.

Jill Myers, a member of CARE and a Celina resident, said she also is worried about the lake.

"They're putting more things in the lake that shouldn't go into the lake," she said.

shunt@dispatch.com

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

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