No Problems Found In South Dakota

After receiving the recommendation of Major David Lansford, CIDC and Chamber officials made an unannounced visit to Watertown and Aurora, South Dakota.  The goal of the unannounced visit was to understand the impact the ethanol industry has had on the respective local communities.  Watertown and Glacier Lakes Ethanol, LLC was the first town to visit. Upon entering the town’s city limits the 47 million gallon plant was in clear site. Glacier Lakes Ethanol began operation in May of 2001 and currently is in the process of expanding the plant to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year.
     The Glacier Lake Ethanol plant is approximately 1/2 mile off the main highway and is two blocks away from a housing subdivision. The housing division consists of over 100 homes. According to a local resident, “The plant smells very seldom and if we do smell anything, it resembles a bakery.  I have lived in this location before the plant went in and have not noticed a negative effects from the plant.”
     Although CIDC or Chamber officials did not tour the plant they took the opportunity to travel around the town and visit with the community. They interviewed everyone from shoppers to residents who live within two blocks of the plant to City Officials. “To have an affective plant the company must have a thermal oxidizer along with that, tall exhaust stacks are recommended. There were concerns at first, in regards to the smell and emissions, but the concerns were unfounded once the plant was built,” a City Official said.     
     The next plant to be visited was in Aurora, South Dakota, where the population of the rural community is 520 people. VeraSun Energy Plant is the ethanol establishment that is located on the main street of Aurora. There are a number of business, a post office, a city hall, two saloons and a large number of homes and apartments all located within a ? mile from VeraSun Energy Plant. 
     The plant opened in December of 2003 and produces 120 million gallons of ethanol per year.   The VeraSun Energy plant will be expanding to produce 200+ million gallons of ethanol in the near future making it one of the five largest ethanol producers in the United States.
     Like the trip in Watertown, the officials had the chance to interact with the local community. A grandmother with her grandchild said, “The only negative has been the increase in train traffic and truck traffic.  The only suggestion that I would make would be that the ethanol company invests in fire protection foam, in case of a fire, but other than that overall the plant is a very positive business for the community.”
     The visit proved to be important to the CIDC and Chamber officials because they were able to compare the South Dakota plant to the proposed Clovis Ethanol plant.  Chase Gentry, CIDC’s Executive Director said, “The Watertown plant is a great comparison to the Con Agra location – new technology, in the city limits with housing and local business next door. I was really amazed to see how clean the facility looked. I don’t see the Con Agra project being a negative for the community.” 
     “The two most important words that I learned from my visits to South Dakota are:  Thermal Oxidizer.”  Ernie Kos, Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce said in response to the South Dakota ethanol plant visits. 
     After the South Dakota visits the CIDC and Chamber officials are looking forward to discussing what they saw with the Clovis community.  Kos also expressed her gratitude for the suggestion of a trip to view other plants, “Thank you for suggesting that we visit several plants because now I feel that I can honestly address issues relating to the proposed plant in Clovis.”