Public Health Madison & Dane County

The Ice Cream Caper

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This is another installment in our series of blog posts about illegal dumping cases. Need a backgrounder on our illegal dumping program? We’ve got a blog post about that!

Last year, our Environmental Protection Unit headed to an ice cream manufacturer but unfortunately left with a citation, not a scoop of rocky road.

During a field inspection, our staff observed a large amount of purple liquid spilling out from the dumpster room at an ice cream distributor. The purple material spread over the sidewalk, down the street, and into the storm sewer. When the team looked into the sewer, they saw it was completely filled with the purple ice cream ingredients and liquid dye. It had bubbles and a strong odor, which indicated bacterial growth and decomposition.

  • purple liquid seeps under a door

    The purple liquid seeps under a door.

  • purple liquid pools in a sewer drain

    Purple liquid pools in a nearby sewer.

  • purple liquid pools in the grass

    Purple liquid pools in the grass.

When waste or other materials—in this case ice cream ingredients and dye—hit a storm sewer, they’re carried untreated to the nearest waterway when it rains. This can harm our lake ecosystem and the plants and animals that live within it.

Our team reached out to our partners in City Engineering to send over a vactor truck to clean up the street, gutter, and storm sewer. Unfortunately, due to past citations, our staff referred the matter to the City of Madison’s Attorney’s Office for enforcement.

Two days later, during another field inspection, there was a similar ice cream spill, this one blue-tinged with ice cream ingredients and dye. It too was running into the storm sewer. Our team once again contacted City Engineering to clean up the spill and referred the matter to the City of Madison Attorney’s Office.

Reporting Concerns or Possible Violations

You can report any possible violations in Dane County to us.

Anyone can report a concern or possible violation. We have the authority to address threats to surface water quality in Madison and Dane County. We’ll ask for some basic details about what happened, like a description of what you saw and when.

Reporting possible violations is easy, either by online form or by phone.

To report a concern in Dane County, visit our website or call 608-266-4821.

In an investigative mood?

Check out our other blogs in this series:

This content is free for use with credit to Public Health Madison & Dane County .

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