A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
Mead AltEn Ethanol plant. COURTESY PHOTO
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
A burst pipe late last week in a 4 million gallon digester tank at the AltEn Ethanol plant near Mead sent liquid manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process, into waterways and culverts up to 4 miles from the plant.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy on Wednesday said it’s continuing to monitor the release of waste material from AltEn Ethanol after a pipe burst on a 4 million gallon digester tank late last week.
In a news release, the department said the liquid discharge from the tank — manure and thin stillage, a byproduct of the ethanol manufacturing process — had moved more than 4 miles from the plant in waterways and culverts since the leak was discovered early on Friday.
The department added that as of Tuesday, the discharge appears to have stopped, and has not reached the Platte River to the southeast.
AltEn built a dam near the intersection of Nebraska 66 and Road 7 in Saunders County to prevent the discharge from traveling further downstream.
Meanwhile, the department has collected samples from the spill to determine if it contains pesticide residue. AltEn uses pesticide-treated seeds as a feedstock to produce ethanol, leaving a contaminated byproduct behind.
Results from the tests could be returned in two weeks.
According to the release, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have also collected samples and offered assistance in cleanup.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy also issued a letter of noncompliance to AltEn, ordering the company to build additional barriers to prevent further spread of the waste, to conduct hourly inspections on the second 4-million gallon digester, and to build a secondary containment in case of a potential failure.
AltEn is expected to provide written plans for how it will cleanup, transport and dispose of the material by noon on Thursday.
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