Impaired Waterbodies of Wisconsin.

The US EPA has a website that has a searchable database to look up different water bodies in the state of Wisconsin.

The database includes the TMDL (total maximum daily load) for a given material into a waterbody.  Some streams and rivers are impaired due to too much of something entering the system.

Mercury TMDLs are being developed.   Fish advisories are in place.

In our neck of the woods the St. Louis River is the main body of water of concern. 

Mercury reminder

Now that WI's fishing season is a week in, this is a friendly reminder about mercury. Mercury is a toxic metal settles in the environment and turns into organic methyl mercury in our waters. Methyl mercury bioaccumulates up the aquatic food chain. You should be proud of the large walleye you caught during the opener, but reminder that walleye will have a lot more mercury in it than the little trouts you keep catching (General consumption guideline is ONE per MONTH of game fish, unlimited inland trout consumption).

Mercury is in a lot of products such as electrical components and florescent light bulbs. It is really important that when you properly dispose of  mercury-containing products so the toxin will not leach into our environment and get into our fish (can you imagine not being able to catch walleye at all because of elevated mercury risks?). We accept mercury items here at ESD free of charge.

Happy fishing!

Recycling - Reducing and Reusing

Thanks to those who attended the Recycling program last Thursday evening.  It was good to have a full room and lots of questions for the local experts presenting about recycling.  The more each of us knows then we can more properly dispose of items.  Many things can be recycled these days - used oil, household hazardous waste,  mercury-containing items,  plastics, metals, and paper.  The amount of recycling is going up.  Meanwhile, it's good to have REDUCE and REUSE be part of everyone's vocabulary and actions.  Can we use our own -re-usable bags?  Can we put usable unwanted items at places like the Superior Re-Use Center at the Superior Landfill or at the Re-Store Habitat for Humanity Store or Goodwill?   Toys, clothes, kitchen accessories and many other items might be just what someone else is looking for.    Paint, stains, and other household hazardous waste can be dropped off at no charge at WLSSD's ReUse Center.  It's also a place people can go to pick up things for free.
Remember some items are banned from the landfill.  Stop in here for accessing information about our landfill.  Here is our disposal guide.  People in Douglas Co. can learn more about recycling from the Douglas Co. Recycling Coordinator. 
  One of the largest man-made structures in the world is the Fresh Kills Landfill on the East Coast.  It's closed now and other landfills have closed and all have limited life spans.  The Superior Municipal Landfill with its five cells extends high up as more and more trash is added from Superior, from Duluth, from Ashland and other sites.

A recent article in the Duluth News Tribune summarized a study through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.   This is a summary report of the study.  Page 9 is especially interesting as it's the breakdown of the categories.  http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=20102

Go to some of the links provided to keep learning about proper disposal of waste and all the opportunities with recycling.  The final links I'd like to share are two sites that let you search on topics about recycling and where some items can be recycled. 
www.earth911.com
http://1800recycling.com/

If you would like help raise money through recycling for groups in town keep an ear out.  An aluminum can drop-off cage is along Belknap by Subway.  The high school has a glossy paper pickup. Perhaps people can start their own fundraising through recycling.  There also is a clothing and shoe US Again green bin near the corner of Belknap and Hill.

Let's Talk Recycling - Nov 14 at 6 p.m.

What:  Let’s Talk Recycling

When: November 14 (Thursday) at 6 p.m.

Where: Superior Public Library, classroom, 1530 Tower Ave.

More Information:  Environmental Services of City of Superior.  715-394-0392

Come over on November 14 at 6 p.m. at the Superior Public Library, 1530 Tower Ave, to attend the event:  Let’s Talk Recycling.  We’ll talk plastics, paper, but also other items that have been considered ‘waste’ but are recyclable and some that can be an environmental health issue if placed in the trash.   Speakers will include Mary Klun, Douglas County Recycling Coordinator; Steve Christen “The Recycle Guy” AA Roll-off; Dan Hartel, Hartel’s DBJ; and Wendy Grethen, City of Superior Environmental Services.   Each presenter will give a short presentation and then there will be time for questions.  About 167,962 tons of waste came in to the Superior Municipal Landfill in the last year.  Quite a bit of the content could have been recycled and some items could have been reused.  Good news is that 875 mattresses were recycled and 68.5 tons of tires were recycled.  Our decisions as consumers and our waste disposal habits can result in part of the problem but also in creating a solution to reducing waste. 

A Very Scary Substance

There’s a scary substance lurking around in the environment.  It’s in the air, water, animals, products we use every day and even in people. It builds up in fish and can ruin their health, too!  When you eat fish with a lot of it in them, you end up with it in you too. It can make people sick and affect neurological development.  What is this eerie element?  It’s mercury, a creepy chemical that’s all around.

Mercury is an element that is liquid at room temperature and evaporates easily.  It occurs naturally, but is most often released into the air through the burning of coal.  It is also used in products like thermostats, thermometers, and switches (like the ones that turn your trunk and hood lights on in your car).  Mercury-containing products are hazardous and should not be thrown in with your regular trash.  You can prevent mercury in the environment by buying products that don’t contain mercury, disposing of mercury-containing items correctly, and becoming more energy efficient.  Watch our webinar below for information on reducing the number of mercury containing items in your life and proper disposal.  You can also tune in for our “Universal Waste Rules for Mercury” webinar on November 13^th.  Mercury-containing products can be brought to the wastewater treatment plant (51 E 1^st Street) free of charge.  You’ll even receive a mercury-free thermostat.

  

"Mercury and You" webinar from October 8, 2013