Management and Cleanup of PBTs in Wisconsin

Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, efforts by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regulated facilities and Wisconsin citizens have led to significant reductions in the uses, releases, and environmental concentrations of several PBTs such as heavy metals and banned pesticides.

The following is a brief summary of some of Wisconsin’s current programs and laws that help cleanup or manage toxic chemicals including PBTs.

• PBT Cleanup and Remediation
• PBT Management

Cleanup and Remediation

Contaminated Sediment

• PBT contaminated sediment sites under investigation and/or remediation in Wisconsin include Great Lakes Areas of Concern, Coal Gas manufacturing sites contaminated with furans and other organics, the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, and several other sites throughout the state. Further information about these sites can be found at Wisconsin’s 2002 Water Quality Report to Congress, Chapter 3 (pages 106 –111).
• Sites in Various Stages of Sediment Management: Status report on some of the contaminated sites in the state.
• Lower Fox River PCB Cleanup Activites: For the most recent information on Lower Fox River PCB Cleanup activities.
• Sheboygan River (US EPA) (exit DNR): For the most recent information on the Sheboygan River Superfund site.
• Contaminated Sediment Cleanup Guidelines: The Department’s Contaminated Sediment Standing Team has prepared an interim final guidance entitled "Consensus Based Sediment Quality Guidelines (CBSQGs): Recommendations for Use and Application (PDF). This guidance is intended to assist both internal staff and external stakeholders in addressing contaminated sediment issues. The CBSQGs, as developed, addresses chronic and acute effects to benthic macroinvertebrate species.

Remediation and Redevelopment

• Hazardous Substance Spills: Spills of PBTs should be reported under Wisconsin’s Spill law.
• Site Remediation: Wisconsin’s Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program oversees the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination and the redevelopment of contaminated properties.

PBT Management

Air

• Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) including PBTs such as mercury, dioxin, polycyclic aromatic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlordane, are regulated in Wisconsin under federal and state regulatory programs.

  In 1988, Wisconsin adopted a state hazardous air pollutant regulation, which lists and sets emission standards for 437 substances. DNR updated the rule in 2004 to include 103 additional substances. The purpose of the rule is to provide public health protection from inhalation exposure to these substances.

  The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments established a list of 189 hazardous air pollutants. Major industrial sources emitting these pollutants must comply with Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards (MACT).

• Air Permits: The Wisconsin DNR issues air construction and operating permits to limit the amount of air pollution a facility is allowed to emit in order to maintain ambient air quality standards and meet Hazardous Air Pollutant and MACT standards.
• Mercury : The State has regulations to limit mercury emissions from coal-fired electric utility plants, the largest source of mercury.
• Open Burning - A Real Source of Air Pollution in Wisconsin: The 1990 Recycling Act prohibits commercial, industrial and municipal facilities from disposing of any yard wastes by either landfilling or burning without energy recovery. It also prohibits the landfilling or burning of many recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard at these same types of facilities. The combination of Air Management's restrictive rules on open burning (which have been in place since 1970) and the Waste Management Program rules means that open burning of most waste materials is prohibited under state law.

Groundwater and Drinking Water

• The Wisconsin Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater manages activities that affect the safety, quality and availability of drinking water by preventing contamination of drinking water and groundwater to protect public health.

Watershed Management

• Watershed Management: The focus on managing our waters has shifted to the watershed approach because it focuses stakeholders on what a particular lake, river, or wetland needs and what they can do collectively to meet that need.
• Wastewater Permits: Wisconsin’s Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) requirements apply to facilities that discharge to surface or groundwater. WPDES permits require facilities to meet technology based treatment standards as well as insure that the receiving surface or ground water meets water quality standards.

Laboratory Certification

• Low Level Data Reporting: Wisconsin-certified and registered laboratories are required to report analytical data down to the limit of detection for compounds that are an environmental or human health concern. This requirement of the DNR's Laboratory Certification Program includes a number of PBT chemicals.

Waste Management

• Waste Management: Management of other wastes are regulated under Wisconsin’s Solid Waste, Recycling, and related waste laws.
• Hazardous Waste Regulations: Facilities are required to properly manage and dispose of their hazardous waste under State and Federal hazardous waste laws. Some PBT containing wastes are regulated under these laws.
• Wisconsin's Pre-Demolition Environmental Checklist (PDF) (DNR Publication WA-651-03) includes information on PCBs.

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