New ordinance means changes for Rock River boaters - Jun 2013

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.

Prop Owners Win on Delavan Lake

Keep an Eye on Your Assessments

More than 50 Delavan lakefront owners sued the town of Delavan over assessments and taxes paid in 2009 and 2010.

Read the decision:

http://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.html?content=html&seqNo=106587

Ag Run-off Map

Farmers Asked to Help With Runoff Issues into Lakes and Streams

Phosphorous Runoff

...Nutrient runoff and livestock manure contain phosphorus that travels through the Yahara Watershed — an area starting with the Yahara River near De Forest, running through Cherokee Marsh, including Lakes Mendota, Monona, Kegonsa and Waubesa, and ending at the Rock River. phosphorus contributes to unnatural weed growth and algae blooms...

Where is the REAL OHWM?

RKLD is already collecting data - we are examining the OHWM and whether hunters and fisherman can access more public areas on the lake.

In some cases, wetland owners may be claiming public waterways as private property.

___________________________

Brian..

 

Below is information about the Rock River flood inundation pilot project.   See the link for the Cedar River-Cedar Rapids, IA river gauge for an example of what flood inundation mapping is like.  Let me know if you are interested in getting on an e-mail list for the meeting or conference call in early 2014. 

--

Brian Hahn-Service Hydrologist  12/10  635 pm

National Weather Service-Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI

N3533 Hardscrabble Road

Dousman, WI 53118

Excellent Reply to the Water Quality article on Manure Spills

Well said Greg Farnham!

______________________________________

Richard:

The attached article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlights the fact that this year our state has experienced the largest volume of livestock manure spills since 2007.  Notwithstanding the implications of this appalling statistic, you are quoted as:

"What can I say,  'Manure happens.'"

I consider this comment dismissive and arrogant.  I might expect such a reply from a representative of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, but not from an educator with the University of Wisconsin System.

According to the article, the "UW's showplace for agriculture research" in Arlington has been for years a flagrant violator of safe manure handling practices.  Is this the performance standard for management and faculty of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences?

There are hundreds of dedicated private individuals statewide serving as commissioners of lake management districts, directors of lake and river associations and volunteers with other water conservation and public health organizations who are working tirelessly in an effort to protect our surface waters and groundwater from manure contamination.

An apparent shoulder shrug from a CALS dean with the comment "manure happens" is an unacceptable response to the serious manure pollution problems in this state.

Sincerely,

Greg Farnham, Commissioner

Lake Sinissippi Improvement District

Hustisford, Wisconsin

Water Quality Issues

At our 2013 Annual Meeting of Electors, this issue was raised repeatedly that RKLD should involve ourselves in improving water quality of Lake Koshkonong.  While the entire Board agreed with those concerns, the article below is a good example of what our Board, Lake, River and property owners are up against.
___________________________________

Manure spills in 2013 the highest in seven years statewide
By Lee Bergquist and Kevin Crowe of the Journal Sentinel

Dec. 5, 2013

Wisconsin farms this year generated the largest volume of manure spills since 2007, including an accident by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's flagship research farm in Columbia County that produced a mile-long trail of animal waste. Livestock operations have spilled more than 1 million gallons of manure in 2013, according to the state Department of Natural Resources' records. Records don't show a clear trend in the frequency or size of the spills, but officials say there is a growing practice by farmers and their neighbors of reporting mishaps. Officials also say that regardless of the precautions taken, accidents are not uncommon. Manure contains an array of contaminants, including E. coli, phosphorus and nitrogen, that can harm public waterways and drinking water. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis shows that after this year, the second largest volume in spills took place in 2008 when 905,505 gallons were released. The Journal Sentinel asked for records from 2007-'13. Last year, spills

totaled 191,132 gallons. Kevin Erb, a manure specialist with the University of Wisconsin Extension, said that the volume is minute, compared to the amount of manure cows produce. The spill total for 2013 is less than 1% of all the waste produced by dairy cattle in Wisconsin, he said. Still, manure handling is a volatile issue in Wisconsin as dairy farms grow larger. Attorney Drew Nicholas of Midwest Environmental Advocates said animal waste is the chief concern of residents his firm represents. Thecases focus on opposing new farms or expansions at the state's largest dairies, known as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. CAFOs are farms with the equivalent of 700 or more milking or dry cows. "It's the same issue: The fear manure will get into waterways," Nicholas said.

According to the Journal Sentinel analysis, about one-third of the spills since 2007 came from CAFOs. There are currently 196 dairy CAFOs in Wisconsin. In the latest spill, 300,000 gallons of manure escaped from a ruptured pipe on Nov. 24 from a facility in Dane County that takes waste from farms to generate electricity.

The $13 million Dane County digester, which received a $3.3 million state grant, generates enough electricity to power 2,500 homes. It began operating in 2011. The ruptured pipe was not discovered until Nov. 25. The break sent liquid manure into nearby Six Mile Creek.

The DNR is still assessing the extent of the damage. DNR spokesman Bob Manwell said the spill doesn't appear to have killed fish in the creek, but because portions of the creek are covered with ice, the agency is still monitoring the situation. Another big spill was an accident in February at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station that also released 300,000 gallons of manure after a pipe broke. The 2,000-acre farm is UW's showplace for agriculture research. The manure handling system was constructed about five years ago to accommodate about 500 cows. "It was a mechanical failure," said Richard J. Straub, senior associate dean of the UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in explaining the break in a pipe that recirculated the cleanest water from a manure lagoon to wash manure off the barn's floor. DNR records show that Arlington has reported five spills since 2007. That includes three spills in 2009 for a

combined 50,000 gallons. "What can I say, 'manure happens,'" said Straub, who holds a doctorate in agricultural engineering. "We take these things seriously, but there is no system that is absolutely safe." The farm has instituted several changes, including new berms to contain waste if another accident occurs and an automatic shut-off of equipment that pumps manure if a change in pressure is detected, Straub said. DNR officials said they haven't analyzed the data on spills, and haven't examined the data to learn whether there were cases where farms or manure haulers are repeat violators. Some farmers and haulers have been required to pay fines for contaminating public waterways or groundwater, the DNR said, but the figure was not available on Thursday. "Spills are going to happen, and what we are telling people is to report them and mitigate the problem — these are the things that we are focusing on," said Tom Bauman, coordinator of agricultural runoff for the DNR. Officials said a string of manure spills in 2004 prompted the state to become more proactive. The agency has personnel in all regions of the state who work on spills. On nights and weekends, a DNR employee is on call in the event an accident is reported. The DNR also has a system that warns farmers when weather conditions, such as heavy rains and fast snow melt, would be poor for spreading waste.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/manure-spills-in-2013-the-highest-in-seven- years-statewide-b99157574z1-234701931.html#ixzz2mi6O5sDe
Follow us: @JournalSentinel on Twitter 

Work at the Dam

Agreement seeks use of Indianford Park for dam work

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By Catherine W. Idzerda

September 9, 2013

INDIANFORD—A portion of a Rock County park will be temporary closed for trash pickup.

That's the easy explanation of what will happen in October at Indianford Park.

The more complicated explanation involves sediment build up, water levels and clogged wicket gates.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Rock County Parks Committee will consider an intergovernmental agreement between the county and the Rock Koshkonong Lake District. The agreement, which still has to be approved by the county board, would allow the lake district to use part of the park as a staging area for equipment needed for work near the Indianford Dam.

The work will be done north of the powerhouse, said Brian Christianson, chairman of the lake district, and will include the draw down of water, cleaning of trash gates and the installation of an automatic debris cleaning system.

“We've had a number of complaints about the water not going completely through the wicket gates,” Christianson said.

The wicket gates are mechanical, underwater gates that allow the water to flow under the powerhouse. Trash racks in front of the gate prevent debris from clogging the gates. But even with the removal of trash that accumulates around the gates, the wicket gates still didn't seems to be handling the proper amount of water. 

Lake district officials are concerned gravel from a previous project and objects such as sunken logs have formed a barrier at the bottom of the racks.

This year, the dam is due for its 10-year state Department of Natural Resources inspection, and lake district officials decided that now would be a good time to tackle the wicket gate problem.

The work will begin with the construction of a cofferdam, a kind of temporary scaffolding that will divert water in that area over the spillway.

Then, when the area is dry, crews will clean the debris from the bottom of the gates. 

“We decided we weren't going to do this halfway,” Christianson said of the project.

The final portion of the work would involve the installation of an automated trash rack cleaning system.

The estimated cost of the project, which includes engineering and the inspection of the dam, will be between $15,000 and $30,000, depending on how long the work takes and what kind of problems encountered, Christianson said. 

The agreement with the county would give the lake district a 30-day window to get the work done.  Only a portion of the 2.5-acre park would be closed. Access to the park would be limited to the West Riverside Drive entrance.

Work is expected to start about Oct. 1, and will be completed by Oct. 15,  Christianson said.

The park is used primarily by anglers, who like to fish in the waters below the dam.

More Public Comments from the SNW Change

Brian,

Congratulations on winning the increase up 8’.  The funny thing is, the conditions which brought about the change never included any time where the 7.5’ vs 8.0’ difference would have mattered.  It seems the clamoring started around 8.5’, or maybe it just started around the middle of June.

Ken

Congrats from constituents....Well Said!

Brian

Great news now that the SNW will be at 8.0', good news for the boating public, that a fair and balanced SNW level for property owners was reached!

Getting the county supervisors out to see for themselves, before making important and impacting decisions, shows the public, that they are making judgments based on fact not biased hearsay.

Property owners who made  the decision to place the height of their piers so low that they are still under water at 8.0', should either remove or raise them. It's their responsibility and  they should be reminded that it's a privilege to be allowed to place a private pier in the PUBLICS' waterway! 

Thanks again to Ivan Collins and the rest of our County Board for taking the time and basing their final decision on real facts.

Mike & Debbie Green 

Slow No Wake Trigger is AMENDED - 778.00 = Exactly as RKLD had suggested

SNW: RKLD Wins; Lake Koshkonong Wins; Rock RIver Wins; Grumpy Ole Men Lose.

County board OKs changes to slow/no wake

River split into three sections

Samantha Jacquest

   sjacquest@gazettextra.com  

   JANESVILLE

   Rock County boaters and businesses near Newville will get an extra 6 inches of water to play with on the Rock River due to changes the county board approved Thursday to the countywide slow/no-wake ordinance.

   The new ordinance puts the slow/no-wake levels along the river at:

   8.5 feet from the Beloit-Rock Townline Road bridge south to the state line.

   6.5 feet from the Beloit-Rock Townline Road bridge north to Indianford Dam.

   8 feet from the Indianford Dam to Lake Koshkonong near Newville.

   Before 2012, towns were responsible for slow/no wake rules, leading to a confusing patchwork of regulations for boaters.

   Then last year, the county board enacted a countywide ordinance that split the county’s portion of the river in two. The trigger point north of the Indianford Dam to Newville and Lake Koshkonong was set at 7.5 feet. The much longer stretch south, through Janesville and Beloit to the Illinois line, was set at 6.5 feet. On Monday—partly in response to complaints about slow/no wake from boaters—the board’s public safety and justice committee agreed to recommend dividing the river into three parts and raising the section from the Beloit-Rock Townline Road bridge south to the stateline to 8.5 feet, based on the gauge in Afton. The committee recommended that the midsection north of that bridge to the Indianford Dam remain at 6.5 feet, based on the Afton gauge, and the run above Indianford remain at 7.5 feet, based on the gauge at Lake Koshkonong.

   At Thursday’s meeting, the depth in the ordinance for the third stretch of the river north of the dam to the lake was amended twice: from 8 feet, to 7.5 feet and back to 8 feet.

   The county board passed the proposed changes with a 22-2 vote.

   Many supervisors who originally supported amending the level to 7.5 feet said they changed their minds after touring the river and realizing 8 feet was an acceptable level that did not cause much damage to property and was a good compromise for boaters.

   “I just feel that 8 feet is feasible. It’s a little bit to help the businesses. It’s a little bit to help the landowners,” Supervisor Ivan Collins said.

   Many residents who attended the meeting opposed the change to 8 feet.

   Evan Sayre, chairman of the town of Fulton, said he thinks the level should be even lower than 7.5 feet for the upper section because of the damage the waves cause to property along the river, although at that level, the land along the river at least had a chance to dry out before people were speeding along the river again.

   “If they’re going to do 8 feet, they need to wait a week,” Sayre said. “That would give it a chance to get the water out from behind the sea walls and give the water a chance to get out of the bank.”

   Hank Stockwell lives along the river in the Indianford-to-Koshkonong section and said the supervisors did not spend enough time on the river to see the damage the high water can do.

   “There’s dead trees, acres of land, and when there’s high water, all of it is going to disappear,” Stockwell said. “Both of my neighbor’s piers are underwater right now. It’s just a no-win situation for anyone who lives on the river.”

   The changes in the ordinance may be put in effect as early as July 4, but slow/no wake orders are likely to remain on all stretches of the river through the holiday and beyond because of water approaching or exceeding flood levels

______________________________________

Evan Sayre lives miles from the Rock River shoreline and rarely visits the businesses in Newville that are dependent on recreation.  He bases nothing he says on data, or reality.   

Henry Stockwell lives on the river, but apparently, never looks at the USGS gauges - if he did, he would see that the reason his neighbors' piers are "underwater right now" is because the river is at 779.48, or 18 inches ABOVE the 778 trigger for Slow No Wake. 

With everything this vocal minority  of opponents to RKLD spews - saying it does NOT make it true.

Rock County Board Meeting Tonite on Slow No Wake - Be Sure to Say Hello to Sup. Brian Knudson

What’s next: 

The Rock County Board will take up the ordinance at its meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday night.

A public comment period will be held before the discussion and vote on the ordinances.

County board wades into slow/no wake issue

Be sure Committee member and Supervisor Brian Knudson knows you are there and what he did to recreation on Lake Koshkonong and the Rock River...

__________________

County board wades into slow/no wake issue

Changes appear likely to ordinance governing Rock River boat speeds

By Catherine W. Idzerda

   cidzerda@gazettextra.com  

   JANESVILLE

   More than 35 people came to a Rock County Board committee meeting, and each had an opinion about how the Rock River should be managed.

   On Monday, the board’s public safety and justice committee voted to repeal and re-create parts of the county ordinance regarding slow/no wake orders.

   The vote was good news for recreational boaters in the southern part of the county, where water levels would have to be significantly higher before slow/no wake goes into effect.

   But a mid-meeting amendment to the proposed changes would mean that the tipping point for slow/no wake could remain the same for boaters north of the Indianford Dam, and not everyone was happy about that.

   On Thursday, the proposed changes will go to the county board, and they could be in effect as soon as July 4.

   Slow/no wake orders take effect when the river reaches a certain level. When the orders are in effect, boats must go slow enough to create no wakes—the waves that wash out from a boat and onto shore. When water levels are high, wakes can damage piers and cause the banks of the river and the properties along them to erode.

   Until 2012, towns were responsible for slow/no wake orders, often creating a confusing patchwork of regulations. Now, the county issues orders that affect the entire length of the river within its borders.

   Sheldon Lloyd lives on North Parker Drive in Janesville.

   “If you don’t live on the river, you don’t know what the damage can be like,” Lloyd said. “I’ve lost six feet of shoreline in the time I’ve lived at my home.”

   Trent Tinder lives on the river in the town of Beloit. He told the committee that taking care of the shoreline was his responsibility.

   “It’s part of the ‘greens fee’ for living on the river,” Tinder said. “You have to do what you can to protect it.”

   Others, however, said slow/no wake orders mean it takes them 90 minutes to get from the area above the Indianford Dam to Newville and the mouth of Lake Koshkonong, and that is simply too long.

   The proposed ordinance divides the river into three areas:

   From the Beloit-Rock Townline Road bridge south to the state line. Currently, slow/no wake goes into effect when the water reaches 6.5 feet at the U.S. Geological Survey gauge in Afton. Under the ordinance, that level would rise to 8.5 feet.

   Mike Lee, owner of Lee Marine in the town of Beloit, said he supports raising the level, as did Tinder, who is his neighbor on the river. The slow/no wake has been hard on business and doesn’t make sense in an area where the river is so wide, he said.

   From the Beloit-Rock Townline Road bridge north to the Indianford Dam. This area would continue to have a slow/no wake trigger of 6.5 feet level based on the gauge at Afton.

   From the Indianford Dam to Newville and the northern county line. The ordinance proposed raising the slow/no wake trigger from 7.5 feet to 8 feet, based on the U.S. Geological Survey gauge in Newville.

   This area was the most hotly contested. Committee member Brian Knudson moved to amend the ordinance so the slow/no wake trigger would remain 7.5 feet. The amendment passed, 4-1, with committee Chairman Ivan Collins voting against.

   The ordinance changes will go to the county board Thursday night. Collins said he would ask the board to amend its rules so the ordinance changes could go through their first and second readings in one night. That way, the ordinance changes would be in effect for the Fourth of July.

   What’s next: The Rock County Board will take up the ordinance at its meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday night. A public comment period will be held before the discussion and vote on the ordinances.

Sheriff Spoden Responds

Give the Sheriff credit - he is much more responsive than our local county board supervisors who ignored all of the RKLD photos, maps, data and personal testimony from last year's effort to fix this mess.

________________________________

ROBERT D. SPODEN

ROCK COUNTY SHERIFF

Rock County Ordinance 25.50 which was enacted by the Rock County Board of Supervisors on January 12, 2012, requires a slow-no-wake speed restriction be placed on the Rock River when water levels exceed 7.5 feet on Lake Koshkonong and 6.5 feet in Afton, as measured by US Geological Survey Gauges. On March 21, 2013, water levels exceeded prescribed levels and a slow-no-wake speed restriction was enacted as required by the ordinance. Since then, water levels have fluctuated but never fallen below prescribed levels to allow for an abeyance of the speed restriction.

The Sheriff’s Office recognizes that the boating public is frustrated and strongly desires to engage in recreational boating on the waterways in Rock County. In fact, for weeks, the Sheriff’s Office has been inundated with calls from citizens expressing grievance with the continuation of the speed restriction. Following a brief explanation, citizens are referred to the Sheriff’s Office website to review the ordinance in its entirety, along with Rock County’s website to learn which Rock County Board Supervisor they should contact for grievance purposes.

Sheriff Spoden strongly encouraged review of this ordinance and has worked with County governing officials to facilitate review and potential amendment of the ordinance. With the assistance of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office Recreational Safety Team leader, several Rock County Board Supervisors recently toured the waterways to view conditions. As a result, the Sheriff’s Office recently learned Rock County Board Supervisors are strongly considering an amendment. On Monday, June 24, 2013, the Rock County Board Public Safety and Justice Committee will meet at 3:00 p.m., at the Rock County Courthouse on the fifth floor in Room N-1 to discuss and possibly act on amendment of the ordinance. Our information indicates that the amendment of ordinance 25.50 will likely go to the full County Board for a vote on June 27, 2013.

To read the ordinance, go to the Sheriff’s Office website; and under quick links, click slow-no- wake ordinance: http://www.co.rock.wi.us/index.php/departments/departments-m-z/sheriffs-office

To learn contact information for County Board Supervisors, follow:

http://www.co.rock.wi.us/districts-a-supervisors

ROBERT D. SPODEN SHERIFF