Birnamwood prepares for new phosphorus limits

The Village of Birnamwood has too much phosphorus in its wastewater, said Chris Jensen, director of public works, to the village board at its Sept. 14 meeting.

While the municipality is not in violation of state Department of Natural Resources guidelines yet, he said they will need to put a plan in place to stay compliant, and some residents with older homes might need to replace their external plumbing.

Jensen detailed for the board a four-hour phone conversation he had earlier that day with a wastewater engineer from the DNR. He said he was informed by the engineer that phosphorus limits will be put in place soon throughout Wisconsin.

Birnamwood has fluctuating phosphorus levels, anywhere from 0.75 to 1.75 parts per million gallons of water, said Jensen. According to the information from the DNR, the new guidelines will be 0.2 parts per million gallons, Jensen said.

In order to renew the village’s wastewater permit, which expires in June, the village needs to apply in January, Jensen said. At that time, the DNR will establish a timeline to reach the smaller amounts within the next four or five years. Jensen noted that too much phosphorus caused excess algae in waterways.

Jensen told the board he had asked about phosphorus levels when they built the waste treatment plant in 2015 and said he was told at that time there were no limits on phosphorus.

Trustee Jody Dombrowski asked Jensen what was causing the high levels of phosphorus and what residents could do to help. He said residents can purchase phosphate-free laundry detergent and refrain from pouring soda down the drain.

He also noted that old clay and cracked lateral pipes from homes to the sewer lines leads to clear ground water coming into the sewer lines. He said that later tests will determine which homeowners will need to replace their lateral lines, and the board will eventually need to determine a timeline for the plumbing work.

“At some point, we’re going to need to hire an engineering firm to find the most cost effective way to bring it to the required level,” said Jensen. “Maybe there is extra funding we can get; the engineers usually know where to apply for that.” The board took no action on the matter at the meeting.