By Mark Fischenich
WINNEBAGO — A groundbreaking, and groundwater-saving, plan to use municipal wastewater at the Corn Plus ethanol plant in Winnebago is in line for $1 million in state funds.
The funding, provided through revenue generated by the Legacy Act constitutional amendment for the outdoors and the arts, would help cover the cost of piping treated wastewater from Winnebago’s homes and businesses to the ethanol plant east of town. The project would address one of the major criticisms of ethanol production — that it consumes large amounts of groundwater to generate alternative fuels.
“It was just a no-brainer as far as how we should use water at ethanol plants,” said Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, who represents Winnebago and ushered the funding through the legislative process.
The effort was helped by the presence for the first time of the revenue from the sales-tax increase approved by voters Nov. 4 to provide dedicated funding for hunting and fishing habitat, parks and trails, arts and culture, and clean water initiatives. That money was separate from the state’s general fund, which faced a $6.4 billion shortfall.
The bill doesn’t specifically mention Corn Plus or Winnebago but has this provision under the clean water appropriations: “Of this amount, $1,000,000 the first year is for grants to ethanol plants that are within one and one-half miles of a city for improvements that reuse greater than 300,000 gallons of wastewater per day.”
Corn Plus, about a mile east of Winnebago, currently uses up to 350,000 gallons of fresh groundwater daily to produce its fuel. The city discharges a minimum of about 350,000 gallons of treated wastewater into the Blue Earth River each day.
“The description of what it’s for is pretty much Corn Plus,” said Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, who sponsored legislation for the appropriation in the House.
The only potential hangup is that the new sales tax doesn’t take effect until Wednesday, so it will take time for money to accumulate for the millions of dollars promised for various arts, outdoors and water cleanup efforts.
“People think they’re going to get the money right away,” Gunther said. “They’re probably mistaken.”
Corn Plus Manager Keith Kor didn’t return phone calls seeking comment on the state appropriation or the plant’s timetable for making the conversion from groundwater to wastewater.
Darold Nienhaus, Winnebago’s wastewater superintendent, said there hasn’t been any meetings or other activity related to the plan in recent months as they waited to see if the state funding would be approved.
“That’s what we’ve all been doing,” Nienhaus said.
Gunther is confident the project will happen with a formal application for the funds being submitted soon.
“By the time the money’s available, they’ll have the (application) in,” predicted Gunther, who is optimistic that Corn Plus will prove to other ethanol plants the viability of saving groundwater by reusing wastewater. “That will hopefully set a trend, and there will be less groundwater used.”
