TOWN OF WRIGHTSTOWN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An empty field on Mill Road near Old 57 in the Town of Wrightstown has the possibility to look much different in a years time.
The Town of Wrightstown’s board is deciding whether to build a biodigester to turn manure from 13 local farms into energy. The proposed biodigester is $60 million.
“It breaks down the manure in a heated environment to create biogas,” Dan Nemke, from the company Dynamic Holding Inc. said.
“We’re upgrading the biogas into renewable natural gas and injecting that into the pipeline for use as a renewable fuel.”
Town Board Chair Bill Verbeten tells FOX 11 the current system used to deal with manure causes runoff and water pollution.
“It runs over. And where does it go? Into the creeks into the aquifer whatever. Now we have a system that will be able to take their manure.”
The biodigester would remove water from the manure to create fertilizer byproducts.
“The DNR had permits that they had to get and they have to abide by, not only by us but the DNR also,” Verbeten said.
Those permits are for water quality, air quality, and noise restrictions.
Some community members were concerned with the possibility of a methane smell from the manure plant.
“It’ll be dumped into their receiving pits. So there should be no smell or anything that’s coming out of it. Everything is enclosed,” Verbeten said.
As for environmental impacts…
“There will be considerable benefits environmentally associated with this project. One of the biggest pieces with it is most of the participating farms are looking at about a 50 percent volume reduction. So it gives them more opportunities to better manage the volume of manure they have for both storage and land spreading,” Nemke said.
But some residents aren’t sure the project is everything it’s being sold as.
“I think it was clear from the beginning that many of plan commission members and the board were clearly in favor of this from the start. So I’m questioning your objectivity,” A community member said at the town hall meeting.
BC Organics is proposing the biodigester. It says the project will create 400 construction jobs for local people– and $25 million in sub-contract work to local companies.
This biodigester plan is the same one the Town of Holland rejected earlier this year.
The Town of Wrightstown’s Planning Committee will vote on the proposal Monday. If approved, the town board has the final say on whether the biodigester project moves forward on Wednesday.
