ELLSWORTH – Driving through East Ellsworth about two weeks ago, one may have wished they’d lost their sense of smell. A membrane failure with the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s wastewater treatment plant led to issues that caused a less than pleasant, some would say horrendous, odor.

“The Creamery had proactively ordered replacement parts prior to the event occurring and they were not timely delivered as promised,” Creamery CEO Paul Bauer said. “Had they been delivered on time these issues would not have occurred. Thankfully, the replacement membranes were finally delivered on March 14 and were immediately installed. The problem is now corrected and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

The Ellsworth Police Department received several complaints from March 7-14 about the smell permeating the village. Resident Richard Hines, who lives on Wall Street, complained about the smell at the March 18 special Ellsworth Village Board meeting.

“The Creamery issue this last week has been horrific, it’s been terrible,” he said. “We need some kind of ordinance, when you can’t even go outside without throwing up. I talked to the police department and nothing got done. They said their hands were tied.”

Bauer said as with any aerobic wastewater treatment facility, occasional odors will be experienced near the creamery given that it’s a biological process.

“We continuously monitor and improve the environment to let the bacteria do its job,” Bauer said. “On a weekly basis, as a part of normal operations, we run a ‘decant cycle’ to let the digestate settle in the digester. For the aerobic system we currently use, air is an important part of the process. We turn on the air to the tank in the early mornings to increase the air flow back to normal. By doing this in the morning, any odors can disperse in the normal airflow. However, on a humid day or a day with no wind, the smell can linger near the creamery.”

Pierce County Board Supervisor Sheila Lorentz (District 16) questioned at the March 18 Ellsworth Village Board meeting if the Department of Natural Resources was aware of the smell.

Nate Willis, a wastewater engineer with the DNR present at the meeting, said the DNR wastewater management team is working through the step enforcement process with the creamery.

“I don’t think it would be fair to say the DNR is doing nothing about it,” Willis said.

Bauer said the creamery’s wastewater treatment plant is closely monitored and that his staff proactively responds to conditions that appear to indicate that a problem may occur.

“Working closely with the DNR, we proactively report issues and work to quickly solve any problems that may occur, reporting before we are obligated to by law,” Bauer said. “As described above, the replacement membranes have been installed and the problem has been corrected.”

Bauer said the  creamery and its staff maintain a close working relationship with the DNR.

“We report to the DNR, keep it apprised with regular updates, including after an event is resolved and the creamery will continue to work closely with the department as we move forward,” he said. “By the time the public smells it (any odor), our team is already aware and working to address any odor issues by adjusting any parameters we can respond to, if any.”

Bauer also responded to claims people are making accusing the creamery of dumping waste into Isabelle Creek.

“Like the Village of Ellsworth’s wastewater treatment plant, the creamery is permitted to discharge wastewater effluent to Isabelle Creek,” Bauer said. “This is a lawful discharge under normal circumstances. Because we experienced an upset, this discharge became more noticeable. In no uncertain terms did the creamery intentionally dump waste into Isabelle Creek.”

On Sept. 27, 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Justice required the creamery to pay a $250,000 penalty and install additional pollution control equipment for alleged violations of its wastewater discharge permit at its Ellsworth facility.

The state alleged that between October 2017 and August 2022, ECC repeatedly violated its permit by exceeding the permit’s effluent limitations for biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, and temperature.

The complaint further alleges that the alleged violations negatively impacted the water quality and water environment of the receiving water, Isabelle Creek—a trout stream used by local anglers. Effluent limitation exceedances in August 2022 harmed an approximately 3-mile segment of the stream and caused a fish kill.

In addition to the penalty, the DOJ required the creamery to install a wastewater effluent thermal chiller to cool ECC’s wastewater before it is discharged to Isabelle Creek; replace a whey fines saver system in the production area that will minimize process liquid overflow events that are directly discharged to ECC’s wastewater treatment facility; and install a high-strength wastewater diversion system that will allow for high-strength wastewater to be blended with lower strength wastewater before it goes through ECC’s wastewater treatment facility.

At the time, Bauer said the following in a statement:

“Any wastewater effluent discharged over permit limits was completely unintentional and addressed immediately, with complete follow-up reporting to and cooperation with the DNR. We are proud to have been a part of the Ellsworth community for more than 100 years thanks to our farmer-owners who share our deep commitment to environmental responsibility, and we will remain dedicated to protecting the environment and its natural resources.”