Van Hollen
REESEVILLE, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced on Tuesday that his office has reached an agreement with a Dodge County cheese company that allegedly violated water management laws in the state.
Specialty Cheese Company, Inc., allegedly failed to comply with laws governing plans, reports and permits for its ridge and furrow system at its Leader and Lebanon facilities.
"The state's permitting process is designed to protect Wisconsin's environment while enabling individuals to conduct lawful enterprises," Van Hollen said. "We will continue to work with the DNR to make sure that Wisconsin's environmental laws are followed."
The Department of Natural Resources alleged that the ridge and furrow system at the Leader facility was overflowing for 11 days, with a pollutant wastewater draining into a wetland and a tributary of a nearby creek.
The company also allegedly failed to prevent flooding of the ridge and furrow system at both facilities and did not implement chloride reduction measures at the Lebanon facility.
Under the terms of a stipulation, Specialty Cheese Company, Inc., agreed to pay $25,000 in forfeitures, costs and penalties. To remedy the problem, Specialty Cheese Company also changed its facility, hired a consultant, renovated its field and developed a compliance plan for 2010 and 2011. In addition, the company spent $150,000 to upgrade and fix its system.