Cow Manure Hurting Water Quality

To our friends in Jefferson and Rock Counties!

Another manure release event in Dane County and a legal challenge to a DNR permit issued to a CAFO in Kewaunee County to conduct aerial spray irrigation of livestock manure. 

I've also attached a March 2013 letter from the Wisconsin office of the American Lung Association regarding the manure irrigation project.

And I just learned that CAFO advocates in Brown County are "whispering" with the Oneida Tribe about wonderful job opportunities from expanding manure spreading fields onto reservation lands.

The push by the agricultural industry and farm lobby to expand delivery of livestock manure to our rural land, water and air resources is relentless and I fear this problem is headed our way, environmental and public health be damned.

Sincerely,

Greg Farnham, Commissioner

Lake Sinissippi Improvement District

Hustisford, Wisconsin (Dodge County)

920 296-8771

www.lakesinissippi.org

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: greg farnham <waterdown@wildblue.net

Another uncontrolled manure release event.  Safe manure handling practices continue to be a bridge too far for CAFO owners and proponents, notwithstanding protestations by the agricultural industry and farm lobby to the contrary.

I'm concerned that Dodge County appears to demonstrate a caveat emptor attitude towards this issue.

The Land Conservation Committee last fall turned back an attempt to establish a county ordinance to enforce state law prohibiting winter spreading of manure next to lakes, rivers, streams and private wells.  County farmers and our own Land Conservation Department claimed that it was unnecessary to enforce the law.

And it appears the county still does not have a program to evaluate ground water protection despite the fact that the 2012 county land and water plan says that it does.  My February 5th letter to you remains unanswered.

I believe that the livestock manure contamination mess in Kewaunee County is headed our way, and I fear that our county is not going to be prepared to effectively protect our land and water resources and the health of our residents.

I hope our county departments with responsibilities in these matters don't rest on their laurels after having organized a water quality forum in February.  I encourage our county leaders to visit Kewaunee County, tour the spreading fields and talk with the community residents who are affected by CAFO manure.  The place to start is at Kewaunee Cares:   http://kewauneecares.wordpress.com/

Greg Farnham

Broken pipe releases manure at digester site

News Release Published: March 12, 2014 by the South Central Region

Contact(s): David Mosher, 608-275-3321 Bob Manwell, DNR communications, 608-275-3317

WAUNAKEE, Wis. - An estimated 35,000 gallons of manure spilled from a broken pipe at the community manure digesting facility north of Waunakee during the early morning hours of March 12. The break was discovered by an employee of Clear Horizons, LLC, operators of the facility.