WISCONSIN – Representatives of local government, impacted residents and environmental groups serving on the Badger Restoration Advisory Board have co-signed a formal resolution calling on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to order improved testing for residual contamination found in soils and sediments at and near the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant.
Public concern was heightened when the routine prescribed burn of vegetation by the WDNR ignited a sustained underground fire that burned for days – from August 26-28, 2020. The underground fire happened on land that is now owned by the State of Wisconsin and includes a series of interconnected Settling Ponds that received industrial and sanitary wastewater during the plant’s active production years.
After the fire, soil sampling by the Army in June 2021 detected two forms of the explosive DNT (2,4-DNT and 2,6-DNT) at concentrations as high as 87 mg/kg, exceeding the soil cleanup goal of only 11.4 mg/kg. According to the USEPA, DNT is “considered toxic to most organisms, and chronic exposure may result in organ damage.”
Even more concerning, the total concentration of DNT in soil may actually be higher than the Army reports. The WDNR has failed to require the Army to test contaminated soils for the additional four forms of DNT (2,3-DNT, 2,5-DNT, 3,4-DNT and 3,5-DNT) despite the fact that all six forms of DNT have been found in groundwater at levels exceeding Wisconsin’s Groundwater Enforcement Standard of 0.05 ug/L for the summed-total concentration of DNT.
“As members of the Badger Restoration Advisory Board, we urge the Wisconsin DNR to order expanded soil and sediment testing for ALL six (6) forms of the explosive DNT at and near the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant, and to identify and enforce protective cleanup goals for all known and suspected contaminants including PFAS, mercury and asbestos,” the final resolution states.
The RAB members supporting the resolution include: Charlie Wilhelm (At Large Member), Chris Hanson (At Large Member), Craig Walch (Town of Prairie du Sac), Doug Gjertson (Town of Sumpter), Laura Olah (Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger), Michele Hopp (RAB Community Co-Chair, Village of Merrimac), Mary Carol Solum (At Large Member), Mary Jane Koch (At Large Member), Mike Gleason (Lake Wisconsin Alliance), Roger Heidenreich (Town of Merrimac), Valerie McAuliffe (Sauk County Board), Wendy Carlson (CSWAB, Alternate), and William Stehling (Village of Sauk City).
The purpose of the Badger Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is to serve as an avenue for communications between the military installation, state and federal officials, and the community about the environmental restoration activities at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant. The draft resolution was successfully introduced by CSWAB at the public RAB meeting on January 21, 2023.
The next regular meeting of the Badger RAB is planned for April 20, 2023.