News

Wisconsin dairy farm expansion will proceed

An administrative law judge says a Kewaunee County dairy farm may proceed with expansion with some additional groundwater monitoring at the site.  Judge Jeffrey Boldt ruled Kinnard Farms must install no less than six monitoring wells including at least two in fields where manure will be spread.  The judge also ordered Kinnard to modify their permit to reflect a maximum number of animal units at the facility although he did not specify that number.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved a Water Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit in November of 2012 for Kinnard Farms to expand to a 6,200-cow concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO).

A group of area residents represented by Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a petition to contest the permit saying the dairy would contaminate groundwater in the area.

Kewaunee County has areas with very thin topsoil on top of fractured bedrock making it quite susceptible to groundwater contamination.  Judge Boldt noted that 30 percent of the private wells in the county were tested and half of them tested positive for contaminates including nitrates and E.coli.  He wrote the DNR must “utilize its clear regulatory authority to require groundwater monitoring to enhance its ability to prevent further groundwater contamination.”