8/14/21 Update: The City of Wausau has compiled written public comment that it received relating to the Environmental Justice Resolution and it can be found at the founding link and embedded below. https://www.ci.wausau.wi.us/Portals/0/Departments/Council/Archives/Council/Council/2021/COUN_20210810_Packet3.pdf According to multiple local news sources, the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce has come out as the main opponent to Wausau’s Environmental Justice Resolution. Interestingly, the once …
Contamination identified at 360 and 372 Grand Avenue includes, but is not limited to, Tetrachloroethene (Perchloroethylene), PAHs, and Arsenic. The site is the latest in a string in Wausau to encounter problems potentially associated with historic fill in the subsurface. The Grand Avenue property earmarked for the future Community Partners Campus is now an open DNR Environmental Repair Program (ERP) …
According to the DNR’s online database, the former Wausau Center Mall property is now listed as an open DNR Environmental Repair Program (ERP) site, showing a start date of July 1, 2021. The DNR’s website lists Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Lead as substances at the 301 Washington Street property. Documents that had been submitted to the DNR can be …
In a June 11, 2021 letter, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conveyed to the City of Wausau that a broad analyte list is necessary to identify potential contamination at 1300 Cleveland Avenue given the historic practice of dumping hazardous substances at the site. The DNR requested that compounds associated with lacquers and varnishes, specifically bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, be included in …
The City of Wausau is entertaining Environmental Justice approaches that are commonly used by state and federal agencies, and that were started under the Bush administration in the early 1990s. For decades, the EPA has leveraged Environmental Justice approaches and policies. Environmental Justice “is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or …
Environmental and Public Health Groups Announce Legal Action to Defend Communities from Toxic Chemical Lawsuit Brought by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce June 14, 2021 Press Release Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) filed a request to intervene in a lawsuit initiated by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce that threatens to fundamentally undermine the Spills Law—a bedrock environmental and public health protection that keeps …
In a June 2, 2021 email, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources communicated to 3M Company that “It is not reasonable to conclude that arsenic contamination found along a rail corridor is from a background source.” The DNR reviewed 3M’s Investigation Work Plan for arsenic contamination identified in the soil of its rail lots on Wausau’s southwest side, and the …
Citizens for a Clean Wausau (CCW) submitted its comments to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regarding Site Investigation Work Plans recently submitted by the City of Wausau and 3M Company, and their consultants, for 1300 Cleveland Avenue and the nearby former CN/WCL railroad track lots, respectively. DNR BRRTS pages for each site at hand, with the work plans linked …
Archived congressional records acquired from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point library indicate that, in 1986, there was a dioxin catastrophe of such proportions on Wausau’s southwest side related to the SNE site that the EPA wanted to send in “an emergency response team.” The handwritten notes from Obey’s staffer go on to suggest that the EPA “was ready to …
Responsible Party Letter from DNR is Dated February 26, 2021 According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) online database, 3M Company – whose facility is located at 144 Rosecrans Street in Wausau – received a Responsible Party letter from the DNR on February 26, 2021 stating that information the department received indicated that 3M is “responsible for the discharge …
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
