A primer on pollution from the AltEn plant in Mead, NE
Toxic byproducts from ethanol production of treated seed could pose a potential risk to humans and the environment
Introduction
Since 2015, residents in Mead, Nebraska have raised concerns about the human health and environmental impacts of a nearby ethanol facility called AltEn. The facility produces ethanol using agricultural seeds that are pre-treated with pesticides to assist with fertilization and growth. At one time, AltEn claimed to receive 98 percent of excess treated seed in the country. This includes seeds produced by Bayer U.S., Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta Seeds, AgReliant Genetics, Beck's Superior Hybrids, and Winfield Solutions . But the ethanol production process, when applied to treated seed, creates waste laced with chemicals that researchers say may be harmful to people, animals, and the environment.
The two primary concerns are toxic distiller's grain or "wetcake" and wastewater lagoons that are located on the AltEn site. The state tested both byproducts and found unsafe levels of pesticides in 2019. But AltEn has ignored orders to properly dispose of the waste, according to a lawsuit filed by the state of Nebraska against the facility in 2021. The state's complaint highlights concerns related to solid waste disposal, water pollution, and air pollution that could be impacting the human, environmental, and agricultural health of the surrounding area.
The risk associated with improper storage of waste was realized in February 2021 when a spill of more than four million gallons of wastewater impacted local properties up to four and a half miles downstream. As the maps below highlight, the AltEn site drains into the Platte River via local streams and creeks. The University of Nebraska Medical Center has formed a team to conduct a 10-year study of the human and environmental impacts of AltEn.
This StoryMap aims to highlight several of the potential environmental and human health issues related to the AltEn plant using available geographic data and maps.
A Tour of AltEn
A 97-page lawsuit filed against AltEn by the state of Nebraska alleges violations of laws related to solid waste disposal, air pollution, and water pollution. The map tour below reviews some of the features of AltEn's site and where the site is storing waste in violation of state laws.
AltEn Main Site
The recent history of the AltEn site stems back to the early 2000s when the village of Mead annexed part of this property to help obtain tax subsidies for the then-owner E3 Biofuels. That company planned on a unique ethanol production process that integrated a cattle operation. Despite a grand opening that was attended by then-Nebraska governor Dave Heineman, the facility entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy after just a few months .
AltEn purchased the company out of bankruptcy and began the process of using treated seeds around 2015. The AltEn ethanol facility produced 24 million gallons of ethanol per year, according to a legal complaint filed against the facility by the state of Nebraska. The village of Mead, which is partially responsible for the site due to the annexation, revoked AltEn's conditional use permit in May 2021 .
Wastewater lagoons
These three lagoons hold 176 million gallons of wastewater. The wastewater--also known as thin stillage--can be applied to agricultural land when produced from untreated seed. But the state prohibited AltEn from this practice after testing in 2019 revealed levels of pesticides thousands of times greater than EPA recommended levels. A lawsuit filed by the state claims that AltEn may have continued this practice after being ordered to stop. While the lagoons are lined, torn pieces of the liner can be seen in this satellite imagery.
Distiller's Grain Piles
This area shows the piles of distiller's grain being stored on-site at AltEn. This material, amounting to 84,000 tons, is stacked in large mounds. Like the wastewater, distiller's grain can be applied to agricultural land as a soil conditioner. The state also prohibited AltEn from that practice due to high levels of pesticides, but concerns remain about application in nearby fields.
Mead Cattle Company
Mead Cattle Company shares property with AltEn. The original concept behind the AltEn facility was a "closed-loop" system that fed leftover distillers grains to cattle as nutritional supplements.
Researchers and regulators worry that contaminated grains were fed to the cattle at Mead Cattle Co. and that beef produced from this facility could pose a risk to human health.
Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center Land
Her main concern surrounds neonicotinoids (or "neonics") which are a class of insecticides present in treated seed. These chemicals have also been found to have impacts on human health .
Village of Mead
Mead is about a mile north of the AltEn facility. In recent years, residents like Jody Weible (pictured above) have reported symptoms such as respiratory issues that they believe could be the result of pollution blowing off of the site or contamination of water sources.
Water Pollution Concerns
Dr. John Schalles at Creighton University has identified several flow paths from the site lagoons that lead to the Platte River. This path, outlined in red, is one potential route that contamination in water from the site could follow.
Elevation lowers as smaller creeks and streams (identified on USGS surveys of the area) eventually meet with Johnson Creek.
Run-off from AltEn at the Keiser family pond (photo provided by the Keiser family to the Lincoln Journal Star).
A pond at the Keiser farm lies along the flowpath between AltEn and the Platte River. The family recently requested NDEE testing after a large fish kill in the pond. Test results from March found levels of pesticides and fungicides in the water that exceeds EPA guidelines.
After the Keiser pond, the creeks from the site drain into Clear Creek...
... which eventually reaches the Platte River near Ashland. The water source and treatment center for the city of Lincoln's drinking water is nearby.
The concern about potential water impacts from the plant were magnified after a spill of four million gallons on Feb. 21, 2021. Local environmental advocates collected this drone footage from the AltEn site.
Site History
The environmental problems with AltEn stem from switch from using normal excess seed to the pesticide-laden "treated" seed. Human health concerns were first raised and presented to Village of Mead in 2015. The village contacted the Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment, but production of ethanol continued. In 2016, NDEE was informed of the treated seed production process, but took no action initially.
The map below shows changes in the Alt En site using satellite imagery from 2014 to 2020. The map on the left of the slider shows the site prior to the use of treated seed. The map on the right shows the slide five years after treated seed was used. The most dramatic changes are in the upper-right section of the facility, which shows the development of the waste grain piles (as well as two buildings that also hold waste). The slider also shows the addition of a third lagoon and the deterioration of the lagoons.
This map shows the AltEn site in 2014 (on the left) and 2020 (on the right). The addition of open-air waste can also be seen in the upper left corner of the site, next to a newer third waste lagoon.
Where to Learn More
The Sierra Club of Nebraska has a list of articles about the AltEn crisis . The Sierra Club, in conjunction with Bold Nebraska and other local environmental groups, held a town hall in Mead on April 2021.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center also has a website dedicated to the pollution in Mead.
The Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment is posting updates on AltEn here.
