NEWS

South Central Region Headquarters - Madison
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
3911 Fish Hatchery Rd Fitchburg, WI 53711
Phone: (608) 275-3266 TDD: (608) 275-3231

FOR RELEASE: September 14, 1999

CONTACTS:

BARABOO, Wis. -- The Department of Natural Resources will host an Open House here Wednesday, Sept. 29, to discuss the state agency's Environmental Assessment (EA) covering the pending removal of the Oak Street Dam.

The Open House will run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Room B-24 (basement) of the Sauk County West Square Building, 505 Broadway, Baraboo.

There, DNR staff from fisheries, dam safety and engineering, watershed management, waste removal and environmental impact, along with local officials, will present project overviews and timetables.

In tandem with breaching the Oak Street dam, Alliant Energy will begin removing contaminated sediment upstream (behind) the dam spillway.

DNR had originally planned on breaching the dam early this year, but the project was put on hold to prevent sediment harboring coal tar comprised of cancer causing (carcinogenic) organic compounds called polyaromatic hydrocarbons from flowing downstream.

The coal tar's origin is thought to be a former manufactured gas plant located on the bank of the Baraboo River that operated here from the 1870's until 1904. Prior to natural gas being available in the Upper Midwest, many communities had coal gasification plants which used coal to produce a combustible gas for lighting and heating.

Coal tar was a byproduct of the gasification process and many utility companies across the Midwest are now involved in investigating and cleaning-up such sights.

Baraboo was home to a maufactured gas plant operated by Baraboo Gas & Electric, later purchased by Wisconsin Powert & Light (now Alliant Energy) in 1913.

The coal tar was discovered in the riverbed's sediments in Oct. 1998 during routine sampling by DNR as part of precautionary measures taken prior to dam removals.

DNR approved Alliant Energy's work plan for removing the coal tar sediments on Aug. 3, 1999.

Alliant Energy's project will begin by installing a sheet pile and coffer dam around the contaminated sediment. This will isolate the sediment and prevent it from migrating downstream when the dam is breached shortly thereafter. The millpond behind the dam will also be drawndown slowly "to facilitate sediment removal and lessen the chance of coal tar from getting downstream," said DNR hydrogeologist Steve Ales.

After the contaminated riverbed is cleaned-up, dam removal will be completed. The project is expected to begin during mid-to-late October and finish by late December or early 2000. Dam removal will cost about $90,000, paid for by the state.

"Dam removal will re-establish the Baraboo River's natural gradient. The river will be shallower, flow faster and expose rock characteristic of the area at the time when it was known as the Baraboo Rapids," noted Ron Grasshoff, a DNR environmental impact specialist.

"The rapids will provide excellent spawning habitat and improve the fishery. You'll see more smallmouth bass and darters (because of the return of flowing water) and few nuisance fish like carp," added Mr. Grasshoff.

Also associated with the dam's removal will be the widening and renovating of Water Street by the City of Baraboo and state Dept. of Transportation - also put on hold when the dam's breaching was delayed - and developing a pedestrian/bicycle trail along the Baraboo River using $32,000 in state Stewardship grant money.

The present concrete Oak Street dam was built in 1929 and "is in disrepair, unsound structurally, and has failed a Department dam safety inspection," noted Rich Vogt, DNR dam safety engineer based at Dodgeville.

Oak Street will be the second of three dams on the river in the Baraboo area to be taken out. The Waterworks dam was removed in Feb. 1998, and the Linen Mill Dam, located 1.5 miles downstream from the Oak Street Dam, is slated for removal in late 2002.

The Department has made a preliminary determination that an Environmental Impact Statement will not be required for this action.

Copies of DNR's EA are available from Mr. Grasshoff, 3911 Fish Hatchery Rd. Fitchburg, WI 53711 (608-275-3228), E-mail: grassr@dnr.state.wi.us or from the Baraboo City Clerk's Office, Municipal Bldg., 135 Fourth St., Baraboo, WI 53913 (608-355-2730). A copy of the document is also available for review on the Departments web site EA for the Oak Street Dam Removal

Mr. Grasshoff will accept oral or written comments until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, 1999.

The following counties are in the South Central Region: Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Richland, Rock, Sauk.

The public affairs manager for DNR's South Central Region is: Greg Matthews (phone - (608) 275-3317).