Dane County Executive Joe Parisi proposed a plan in his 2013 county budget that introduced updated technology to reduce phosphorus runoff in surrounding lakes in addition to highlighting other ways the county will reduce its carbon footprint.
Parisi announced a “Clean Lakes, Clean Energy” plan that will be proposed to the County Board Monday, according to a Dane County statement.
According to Dave Merritt, director of policy and program development at the Dane County Department of Administration, Parisi unveiled a new technology that would successfully remove 100 percent of the pollutant phosphorus from animal waste. He added the plan allocated $300,000 to install a cutting-edge technology system as part of a manure digester to be built in 2013.
Merritt said phosphorus is the main culprit for smelly and unsightly waste in lakes. He said it causes algae to grow in the lakes as well.
“It’s so important to preserve our lakes,” Merritt said. “It reflects a commitment to protect and enhance our resources that make Dane County such an attractive place to live, work, play and visit.”
According to Merritt, one pound of phosphorus removed from the watershed would prevent 500 pounds of algae growth in Dane County lakes.
Michael Mucha, chief engineer and director for the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, said Dane County helps sewage workers with projects regarding farmers on some of their land practices and reducing manure runoff, which creates algae in lakes. He said the state required the district to reduce their phosphorus loads.
Mucha said Dane County has a big problem with phosphorus runoff in its lakes. He said Lake Mendota and Lake Monona suffer from this problem the most, each facing occasional beach closings and foul odors.
Chuck Erickson, chair of the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission Budget Committee, said anything to get phosphorus out of the lakes in Dane County is highly beneficial.
“It’s a good start,” Erickson said. “The one thing I particularly liked [about the plan] was taking the phosphorus out of manure because it’s a first in Wisconsin, which is great.”
Erickson said phosphorus causes weeds to grow, and weeds need to be cut in order to keep the lakes usable to the public. He said he is concerned about funding for weed cutting in Parisi’s budget.
According to the statement, Parisi also proposed an initiative called “CNG by 2023” that would expand the county’s use of cheaper, cleaner fuel over the next decade.
Merritt said CNG, compressed natural gas, is a major benefit to the environment and taxpayers because it takes a quarter of the cost to fill up an average vehicle tank on CNG as opposed to gasoline.
Sixteen vehicles in the county will utilize CNG next winter, and Dane County will be the first county in the state to power snowplows on CNG, according to Merritt. The statement said this switch will offset the use of about 20,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuels, saving taxpayers approximately $40,000 annually.
It added the Environmental Protection Agency said CNG reduces carbon monoxide by 90 percent, ground-level ozone emissions by 75 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.
The statement also said the budget includes Parisi’s commitment to the creation of more green jobs and cleaner energy in Dane County.
Dane County is seventh in the nation in terms of green jobs in the region, and the median wage in Madison’s green economy is more than $40,000, in comparison to $35,000 for regular jobs, according to Merritt.
