Citizens only have a couple of days before a comment period ends on discharge permits for two Alpena companies.

The Department of Environmental Quality proposes to reissue a discharge permit to Decorative Panels International (DPI) and issue a new one to American Process Incorporated (API) for the Alpena Biorefinery.

The biorefinery will use some of DPI’s waste to produce ethanol and potassium acetate.  The proposed permit for DPI would not only allow it to discharge noncontact cooling water and storm water into the Thunder Bay River, but also transfer the discharge of processed wastewater and storm water to the biorefinery.

The new permit for the biorefinery would allow it to discharge those substances into Thunder Bay.  The permit allows for an increase of pollutants dumped into Lake Huron which will lower the water quality but not below State Water Quality Standards. 

Interested parties have until the end of Thursday to comment on the proposed permits.  Further details can be viewed on the DEQ’s website.