Lifestyle

Mead Farmer wants his poisoned pond cleaned up


A farmer who lives six miles downstream from the old AltEn ethanol plant says chemicals from the plant have destroyed his property and he wants the state and seed companies to clear the land. his. “They have no right to do this privately,” said Stan Keizer, a fourth-generation farmer who farmed 160 acres of corn and soybeans. As soon as AltEn started processing the pesticide-treated grain, Keizer said, everything died in his private 5-acre fishing pond. “We lost all our fish there. We captured 20-inch bass. They’ve been there for 10 years,” he said. In 2021, pipelines burst at the plant, causing significant flows downstream. Kaiser said the water in his pond turned yellow and frothy. The state said the state tested samples from the pond before the breach occurred and found similar chemical fingerprints present on the property at AltEn. Creighton University biologist Dr John Schalles also tested pond water and the ditches and aqueducts leading from the AltEn site to the Kaiser farm. “The drains take water from a number of locations that we’ve mapped out, two of which, two in the middle. ‘Go right across this pond in converging conditions,’” ​​Schalles said. Similar chemical fingerprints were found in Keiser’s private well water. The well is 40 feet below ground level. The family drinks bottled water and they have a carbon filter on their faucet. exit the site and it moves slower. So that’s an early picture of what could be coming,” Schalles said. Schalles is part of a team of UNMC researchers studying the health impacts of waste and contaminated water mishandling at the AltEn site in Mead, Nebraska. To date, state legislators have not signed off on funding a long-term study of the mess. Keizer wrote a letter to the state asking that his property be included in the current cleanup plan. Currently, seed corn companies only treat contamination on AltEn properties. The state did not respond to his request.

A farmer who lives six miles downstream from the old AltEn ethanol plant says chemicals from the plant have destroyed his property and he wants the state and seed companies to clear the land. his.

“They have no right to do this privately,” said Stan Keizer, a fourth-generation farmer who farmed 160 acres of corn and soybeans. As soon as AltEn started processing the pesticide-treated grain, Keizer said, everything died in his private five-acre fishing pond.

“We lost all our fish up there. We captured 20-inch bass. They’ve been there for 10 years,” he said.

In 2021, pipelines burst at the plant, causing significant flows downstream. Kaiser said the water in his pond turned yellow and foamed.

Keizer said the state tested samples from the pond prior to the breach and found similar chemical fingerprints present on the property at AltEn. Creighton University biologist Dr John Schalles also tested the pond water and the system of ditches and aqueducts leading from the AltEn property to the Kaiser farm.

“The aqueducts that carry water from certain locations that we have mapped out, two of which, two in the middle — pass through this pond under converging water conditions,” says Schalles.

Similar chemical fingerprints were found in Keiser’s private well water. The well is 40 feet below ground level. The family drinks bottled water and they have a carbon filter on their faucet.

Schalles believes it is only a matter of time before large amounts of pesticides concentrated in the AltEn area reach groundwater and affect more people.

“Groundwater takes even longer to accumulate these leachates from this area and it moves more slowly. So that’s an early picture of what could be coming,” Schalles said.

Schalles is part of a team of UNMC researchers studying the health impacts of waste and contaminated water mishandling at the AltEn site in Mead, Nebraska. To date, state legislators have not signed off on funding a long-term study of the mess.

Keizer wrote a letter to the state asking that his property be included in the current cleanup plan. Right now, seed corn companies only deal with contamination on AltEn properties. The state did not respond to his request.



Source link

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button
Immediate Peak