Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-214-3789 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Willmar, Minn. --The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has prepared an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the proposed Highwater Ethanol plant near Lamberton. The EAW, which describes potential impacts on land use, water use, water quality and air quality, is open for public review and comment April 23 through May 23, 2007. Highwater Ethanol LLC proposes to build a dry mill ethanol plant west of Lamberton in Redwood County on the south side of Highway 14. It will have the capacity to produce about 75 million gallons of 200-proof ethanol per year. By-products will include about 214,000 tons per year of distiller's grains per year for use as high protein animal feed. A natural gas pipeline will be installed to provide fuel, and two wells will provide water at about 565 gallons per minute. Cyclone separators and burners will be used to control emissions of particles and volatile organic compounds. Wastewater generated during cooling and other non-contact uses will be discharged to a small tributary of the Cottonwood River. A new railroad spur consisting of five tracks would be added along the northern side of the existing Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern (DM&E) Railroad. In addition to the EAW, the MPCA soon will release for public comment a draft air emissions permit and draft National Pollution Discharge Elimination System/State Disposal System (NPDES/SDS) permit for the project. The contact person for the air emissions permit is Jim Robin, 218-846-0748, and for the NPDES/SDS permit, Jim Strudell, 651-296-7238. The EAW provides basic information about how a proposed project could potentially affect the environment, and helps determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement, a more comprehensive environmental review, is needed. Interested parties may comment on the EAW during the public notice period, from April 23 to May 23, 2007. Written comments must be received at the MPCA St. Paul office for the EAW by 4:30 p.m. on the final day of the notice period. Copies of the Highwater Ethanol EAW are available at the following locations:
· MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul;
· MPCA Marshall office, 1420 E. College Dr. Suite 900;
· Marshall Lyon County Library, 301 W. Lyon St.;
· Lamberton Public Library, 101 E. 2nd Ave.;
· Redwood Falls Public Library, 509 S. Lincoln;
· MPCA Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us.
Send questions and comments on the Highwater Ethanol EAW to Deb Moynihan, Ethanol Sector, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155. Moynihan can also be reached by phone at 651-296-8420, fax at 651-297-2343 or by e-mail at debra.moynihan@pca.state.mn.us .