Results from the City of Wausau’s own September 2020 soil sampling in Riverside Park show that multiple sample locations demonstrated exceedances of state DNR regulatory standards for a non-industrial setting. The City’s environmental consultant, REI Engineering, performed the soil sampling and the analysis of the results which came from Pace Laboratories. REI’s analytical spreadsheet of the latest testing results was …
This year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) sent the City of Wausau a Responsible Party letter to investigate and cleanup soil with dioxin levels far lower than were found in Riverside Park years ago. Yet, to this day, no substantive action has been taken by the DNR or City in or by the park where the higher soil …
According to the DNR letter, the City of Wausau is responsible for the “discharge of a hazardous substance or other environmental pollution.” The letter references 132 River Street as the specific site of contamination. The DNR has confirmed that the pollution in question is dioxin contamination that exceeds state soil standards for a residential setting.
Results are in from soil samples that were professionally taken for Citizens for a Clean Wausau by Sand Creek Consultants and sent to Pace Analytical — a DNR-certified laboratory — for analysis. Three samples were taken in Riverside Park in November 2019, and the sample with the highest dioxin level — based on TEQ — was five times higher than …
After a year and a half of community concern and deliberation at City Hall regarding Riverside Park, on Tuesday, October 22, the Wausau City Council approved the request of Citizens for a Clean Wausau (CCW) for access to the park to take soil samples and analyze them for dioxins and furans. Results from 2006 private soil samples near a culvert …
A proposal which the City may present as a compromise plan now includes only 3 samples (50% of limited samples taken) which may be relevant to the primary concern expressed by the community and council members — the runoff zone near the park’s southern forest. A map of revised boring locations for today’s meeting now show that 50% of them …
Note: The full video of CCW’s presentation at City Hall is now available online through public access and can be viewed here:https://waam.viebit.com/player.php?hash=muSYwgtQJDt9 Citizens for a Clean Wausau presented goals, suggestions, and documentation to the Wausau Parks & Recreation Committee on July 23, 2019. The presentation slides are embedded below. The PDF of the presentation slides can be download here.
Source: Wisconsin DNR BRRTS The stated purpose of the 2009 memorandum written by a consultant of the plaintiffs’ attorneys was to characterize the WAULECO-related penta and dioxin concentrations that existed in onsite and offsite locations through time. According to the WSAW Channel 7 article, Wausau Residents Sue Over Chemical Contamination, neighborhood residents “sued Wauleco, alleging personal injury and property damage …
Prominent Toxicologist Comments on Environmental Issues in Riverside Park and Surrounding Neighborhood: LISTEN BELOW — Segment with Oliver Burrows, Stephen Lester, and Shereen Siewert on 1230 WXCO / December 13, 2018 “They are just making decisions that are not based on good science.” – Stephen Lester (WXCO Interview)
The EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.
An air permit search tool from the Department of Natural Resources. Search for information on individual permits, and copies of permits and related records.
DNR Pages for Sites of Interest on Wausau’s Southwest Side
