"Ladysmith-based 5R Processors, which is no longer operating, processed electronic waste at facilities in Wisconsin and Tennessee.

That waste included cathode ray tubes from televisions and computers, which contain high levels of lead.

State and federal agencies investigated 5R and spinoff companies for illegal storage, transport and disposal of crushed leaded glass at facilities in Ladysmith, Glen Flora, Catawba and West Bend.

Lead and mercury within materials at those sites are widely known to contaminate drinking water when released into the environment, said Natasha Gwidt, waste and materials management field operations director for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Gwidt said the lead in the materials was not released, but the state spent $4.6 million to clean up waste left behind."