HOW TO POISON THE OZARKS AQUIFER

Eleven biofuels plants have been cited by the state Department of Natural Resources for wastewater violations that include polluting streams based on permit limits under the federal Clean Water Act, according to the Register's analysis of state records for 34 plants in operation during six years.

Ethanol production requires purified water. When plants treat the water, their sewage discharges can include toxic salt levels and high iron levels. That kind of pollution can harm fish and cattle that drink from streams.

According to the Iowa Environmental Council, the concentrations of chloride and other suspended solids, mainly salts, coming from ethanol plants are among the highest of any industry in the state.

Plants have released large amounts of wastewater that is toxic to fish and plants. The waste means more chloride in the water, which harms aquatic life and livestock.

Iowa Falls' municipal sewage treatment plant found wastewater from Cargill's biodiesel plant was so high in organic matter - ammonia and oxygen-depleting compounds - that the plant couldn't treat it. Plant operators reported that the wastes would overwhelm the bacteria used to digest solids in one part of the treatment process.

Cargill hired a company to spread the soybean oil and glycerine, also called sugar water, on ground without testing the waste first, as required, and without incorporating it into the soil so it wouldn't run off.

The material ran off into a local stream, killing fish

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070603/BUSINESS01/706030322/0/biofuels

And this is just a small taste of what's in store for both Webster County and the Ozarks Aquifer. Polluted water runoff from the ethanol plant with deadly levels of toxic materials that flow out of the plant, UNTREATED. Clean, fresh Ozark Aquifer water that is drinkable, is taken from the Ozarks Aquifer, used for processing the corn into ethanol, then the wastewater is dumped onto the surrounding land where it returns to the Aquifer via the Karst topography.

After the Ozarks Aquifer gets polluted from this toxic stew of chemicals and starts poisoning both Webster County and anyone who takes drinking water from the Aquifer, it will be WAY TOO LATE to effect some type of fix.