DNR: Lead battery terminals from semi crash will be left in Mirror Lake

Jul. 16--LAKE DELTON -- A fatal semi-trailer crash left thousands of pounds of lead battery terminals in Mirror Lake, but state officials don't expect them to have an environmental impact.

Mike Schmoller, regional spills coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said divers worked for at least a week during late June and early July to recover the terminals and other debris from the Feb. 17 crash. They removed about 3,500 pounds of battery terminals from the water out of an estimated total of 12,000 pounds.

"We kind of reached the point of diminishing returns," Schmoller said. "The remaining ones are probably buried underneath the muck or scattered in spots -- it's a difficult work environment trying to get down there and trying to find those little terminals."

Truck driver Timothy Green, 39, and passenger Devenna Patterson, 24, both of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, were killed when the semi plunged more than 100 feet from an Interstate 90/94 bridge into the lake.

The state DNR suspended cargo recovery efforts in early March due to ice and other weather-related concerns, planning to resume them when the ice melted.

During the earlier efforts, workers hauled 23 drums of industrial adhesive carried by the truck out of the lake. They found and removed what they believe was the final drum when work continued last month, Schmoller said, noting the containers were all "fairly intact" and the adhesive wouldn't affect the environment.

He said the lead in the terminals should be stable and not dissolve "too much" in the water, "so we don't expect to see a lead problem in fish in terms of buildup or toxicity." While the DNR won't be monitoring the lead situation, Schmoller said the heavy metal will be less exposed to fish as it settles deeper into the lake floor.

Mirror Lake State Park Superintendent Ryder Will said the remaining cargo won't affect park users or their recreation opportunities. The public beach and swimming area is "upstream and very far" from the crash site, he noted.

Will said park administrators worked with the DNR staff in charge of managing the recovery but weren't directly involved in coordinating it. The trucking company and contractors seemed to do a good job with cleanup, he noted.

"We were just happy to play a supporting role and help facilitate the recovery," he said. "It was a real tragic situation."

Schmoller echoed Will, saying he thought the trucking company and its insurance carrier "made a good-faith effort" to remove as much debris as possible from the lake.

"We're pleased with what we got out of it," he said.

Follow Susan Endres on Twitter @EndresSusan or call her at 745-3506.

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