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Cleanup of former manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites and other contaminated soils is a major Alliant Energy environmental program.
Manufactured gas plantsBetween 1820 and 1950, manufactured gas plants produced energy for lighting, heating and cooking. |
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Baraboo, Wisconsin
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The manufacturing process, which was gradually phased out as natural gas became widely available, left behind coal tar and other residues that impact soil and groundwater. Over the years, Alliant Energy has assumed responsibility for 57 MGP sites as a result of various property transactions. We're investing in developing methods for cleaning up the sites and returning them to usable condition. A project completed at an MGP site along the Baraboo River in Baraboo, Wisconsin, is an example of what can be accomplished. RMT, Inc. , a subsidiary of Alliant Energy, developed design plans and specifications and provided engineering oversight for the removal of 4,500 cubic yards of coal tar-contaminated sediment from the river. The project was awarded an Engineering Excellence Award by the Wisconsin Association of Consulting Engineers. |
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Learn more about the Baraboo River Sediment Remediation Project [PDF] |
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The U.S. government estimates that there are as many as 425,000 abandoned or underused industrial and commercial sites nationwide where redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination. |
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These brownfield sites even exist in our own backyard - like downtown Sun Prairie, Wis. Two large downtown industrial employers closed facilities, leaving two city blocks with 15 vacant buildings and a large volume of fuel oil-contaminated soil that had leaked from underground storage tanks. Alliant Energy subsidiary RMT, Inc. , helped the city of Sun Prairie secure funding and complete the demolition and cleanup of this brownfield, allowing the community to recover valuable real estate and revitalize the downtown area. RMT introduced the idea of applying for government-funded brownfields grants while conducting environmental site assessments of the properties. After researching the options, RMT helped Sun Prairie apply for the 2003 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (WDNR) Site Assessment Grant and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce's Brownfields Grant. The city of Sun Prairie received $750,000 from the Department of Commerce, - and an additional $30,000 from the WDNR. |
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
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Learn more about “Reductive Dechlorination” at the Sun Prairie Project [PDF] |
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