Mercury Minimization Efforts
In 2006, surveys were sent by the City to local organizations, including schools, dentists, medical facilities, and industries. Responses from those surveys helped the City determine how mercury was used in the community, how users disposed of the metal, and what attempts were being made to eliminate or reduce its use locally. Fond du Lac was directed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to develop a community-specific mercury minimization program. The program identified sources of mercury that could contaminate treated water via the wastewater treatment plant, and also provided educational opportunities to the public and to organizations identified through the survey as most likely to generate mercury releases into the sewage system.
Since then, the City has put limits on discharge into its Sewer Use Ordinance to prevent any further excess discharge that could contribute to contamination. Industries in the Fond du Lac WTRRF pretreatment program are monitored for Mercury regularly and any new industries and businesses looking to get started in Fond du Lac are vetted on their discharge levels as well.
The local community is actively involved in preventing contamination through their recycling efforts. The City has a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event and the County has an annual Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep as well. For further information on either please visit the City and County websites.