ELLSWORTH, Wis. — A well-known western Wisconsin dairy will pay a $250,000 penalty and install additional pollution control equipment after allegedly violating terms of its wastewater discharge permit.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery (ECC) agreed to the settlement after "repeatedly" exceeding wastewater discharge limits for suspended solids, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, and water temperature from October 2017 to August 2022. A complaint filed by the state in Pierce County said water discharged into Isabelle Creek - a trout stream used by local anglers - harmed an approximately 3-mile segment of the stream and triggered a fish kill in August 2022.
“To protect both our environment and human health, our water should be free of unlawful wastewater discharges,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Wastewater discharge permit holders must help safeguard clean water by following the terms of their permits.”
In addition to the fine, AG Kaul says ECC officials agreed to install equipment that will dilute high-strength wastewater before it enters the Cooperative's water treatment facility.
In a released statement ECC CEO and General Manager Paul Bauer said the agreement was reached following "unforeseen issues" involving discharges of treated wastewater effluent, adding that the farmer-owned cooperative is working with the DNR to ensure the issues are resolved.
"Any wastewater effluent discharged over permit limits was completely unintentional and addressed immediately, with complete follow-up reporting to and cooperation with the DNR," said ECC CEO Paul Bauer in a released statement. "We are proud to have been a part of the Ellsworth community for more than 100 years thanks to our farmer-owners who share our deep commitment to environmental responsibility, and we will remain dedicated to protecting the environment and its natural resources."
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery's facility processes milk into cheese curds, barrel cheese and dried milk products.
In June Minnesota's Hastings Creamery was disconnected from the local sewer system after the Met Council said the business repeatedly violated the terms of its wastewater discharge permit. The creamery soon closed after nearly 110 years in business, leaving farmers without a place to sell and process their milk and scuttling dozens of jobs. Then in September, the Hastings Creamery went up in flames, destroying the empty facility.
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