Manthey - “We are working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard in our clean-up efforts,” Manthey said “…We’re still not sure what the root cause and contributing factors were in the bluff collapse.”
Back in the 1950s, there was a ravine along the shoreline, which was filled in with coal ash and soil.
“It was a common practice in the 1950s,” Manthey said. “But I think the lines are being blurred that we’re not doing that now.”
Now that coal ash that slid down the ravine is being put into the landfill, Manthey said it’s not clear whether the coal ash will be recycled because it’s mixed with dirt and debris. The utility recycles 100 percent of the coal ash they produce, he said.
“Still, there may be quite a bit of energy still in the coal ash and sometimes the utility has re-burned the old coal ash,” Manthey said. “When they put it back in the ravine, it probably still had a lot of energy left.”
