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Flood-Damaged Homes to be Turned into Energy

By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Sep 16, 2009 at 8:52 AM CST

Story Updated: Sep 16, 2009 at 10:19 AM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) - Flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids may soon be generating electricity.

The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency on Tuesday approved a contract to sell at least 6,000 tons of ground-up wood debris to a Wisconsin plant that will burn it to produce energy.

DTE Energy Services of Ann Arbor, Mich., has converted an old coal-fired plant in Cassville, Wis., to one that will burn biomass.

More than 1,000 homes wrecked by last summer's floods in Cedar Rapids are slated to be demolished.

In its contract with DTE, the solid waste agency will receive $4 a ton for the wood debris, which will be trucked from the agency's landfill and compost operation to the Wisconsin plant.

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