Murky Waters
Yahara beach closures highlight algae, bacteria threats statewide
The Yahara lakes — Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa — are no clearer than they were 30 years ago, despite intensive efforts to improve them.
Adaptive management
Lake experiments explore roles of fish, computers, alum and more
The Yahara watershed is crawling with scientists who keep trying new ways to clean up the lakes.
Dairy
Manure digesters seen as best hope for curbing lake pollution, but drawbacks remain
Since 2001, manure digesters have been popping up across the state. Wisconsin now has 34, the most in the nation, with two more scheduled to begin operating by 2015. In all these digesters, bacteria eat biomass like manure, food scraps or whey and emit energy in the form of methane gas.
digesters
How to make a digester profitable: Veggies and poker chips
The greenhouse and its veggies are one example of a new cottage industry popping up across the country to capitalize on the waste energy, methane gas and the nutrient-rich solids that are emitted from a digester.