Foster County Planning & Zoning Board

~Citizens against the Mega-Dairy LOCATION ~

Join Us, and Prevent the STINK!

NOTICE:  Our concerned citizens meeting took place at the Armory in Carrington on February 12, 2008,  with approximately 40 people attending.  The main concerns addressed were: the location of the Mega-dairy and its closeness to Carrington and the Carrington aquifer... the possibility of it contaminating our ground water; the fact that we need stricter county regulations regarding large CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations such as this Mega-dairy) that want to come to our area; that much of the planning for this proposed Mega-dairy in Carrington was done by some community leaders without notifying the general public. 

Read about a recent manure spill from a mega-dairy lagoon in Maryland.  Do we want to take a chance that something like this could happen to Carrington?

Manure spill could mean months of temporary water supply
Originally published

January 30, 2008
By Gina Gallucci - Frederick News-Post Staff - Maryland

WALKERSVILLE -- For town residents who remember the 1999 sewage spill that forced them to use a makeshift water supply for five months, this could be worse. Test results this week from untreated water show the levels of bacteria and E. coli are greater than in 1999, said Mike Marschner, director of the county's Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management.

The contamination is the result of a manure lagoon pipe that burst last week, said town commissioner Chad Weddle. The burst actually created two spills, one on Jan. 22 and a second Friday night into Saturday morning.

This spill took about four days to infiltrate the town's water supply, compared to 1999 when it took nine days, Marschner said.

These findings were released during a press conference Tuesday afternoon at Town Hall. The meeting room was packed with media, town and county officials and concerned residents.

More...

Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
Farmer apologizes for massive manure spill

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"One fear is that what happened in Walkerton, Canada, could happen in our community. In the small Ontario town, which is the site of several dairy farms, seven people died and 2,300 became ill  ...  after drinking water polluted with E. coli, a bacteria contained in cow manure. Cow manure washed into a nearby well after a heavy rain, causing the health crisis, says Peter Rehak, spokesperson for the Walkerton Inquiry, a public commission established to investigate the tragedy."

-Metro Times - Detroit-

 Disappearing Document

The NDSU study by Scott Birchall, Livestock Waste Management Specialist, which supports our position that CAFOs need regulatory requirements suddenly disappeared from its normal site on the Internet.  We can only surmise that this taxpayer-funded study which addresses many of our concerns, was removed by someone connected with the state of North Dakota.  Why did it suddenly disappear after being on the Internet for a lengthy time?  This study by Scott Birchall states that, "The site for the feedlot operation must not only be suitable for housing, handling and feeding cattle, but also must ensure that surface and ground waters are protected and that the impact from odors is minimized."  He then points out State regulatory requirements... along with a lengthy, well-thought-out checklist for environmental compliance.  This web site is still available, no thanks to the entity that took it off, through Google's cache (storage system).  Also, we made a copy of Google's cache and put it on a page of our web site so that the public can still have easy access to it... just in case it disappears from Google completely. 

[2/19/08 Update: the aforementioned study is back online at a different URL (address)   Also, there is a revised version of the same document, dated October-2006 by Ron Wiederholt (Area Nutrient Management Specialist - Carrington Research Extension Center) and Theresa Dvorak (Livestock Nutrient Management Specialist - Dickinson Research Extension Center) The revised version still offers a detailed list of things to consider regarding odor management with added references to North Dakota Century and Administrative Codes (not noticed in the original document).  It talks about buffer distances to neighbors.  They state, "Be sure to check with the local authorities on ordinances that may dictate setback distances.  In a county or township that does regulate nature and scope, the local ordinance takes precedence over state law."  That's good to know, since that means that concerned local authorities can make the local ordinances stricter than the state, if they feel it is necessary.  The state regulations seem to be less stringent when it comes to groundwater.  The earlier document stated that, "If possible, avoid sites that are within 2 miles of a glacial drift aquifer..." whereas the latest document states, "If at all possible, AFOs and manure storage structures should avoid sites within one mile of a glacial drift aquifer..."  Why are they now being less stringent, considering all the water contamination problems that are occurring across the US? 

While searching for the illusive article by Scott Birchall, we found another report put out by NDSU titled "Unintended Impacts of Fertilizer and Manure Mismanagement on Natural Resources."  At the end of the article, the authors acknowledge Scott Birchall for "developing the original draft of this document." Again, this is another very comprehensive and thoughtful report presented by Ron Wiederholt and Bridget Johnson, Area Specialists/Livestock Nutrient Management with NDSU. The document begins by saying, "When nutrients and other pollutants associated with animal manures and commercial fertilizers are not managed properly, they can affect plant and animal life (including humans) negatively. Some of these impacts include algae blooms causing the depletion of oxygen in surface waters, pathogens and nitrates in drinking water, and the emission of odors and gases into the air."  The information from this document directly applies to the concerns that we have about a mega-dairy moving so close to our town and the Carrington aquifer.  Please read it immediately... just in case it disappears from the Internet after "the powers that be" read our reference to it.
 

Click here to print out a copy of the petition.

Near a Large Dairy in ID

AS-1155
Scott Birchall, Livestock Waste Management Specialist

"One of the most important decisions when planning any livestock facility is site selection. The site for the feedlot operation must not only be suitable for housing, handling and feeding cattle, but also must ensure that surface and ground waters are protected and that the impact from odors is minimized. Whether you are planning a new facility or modifying an existing one, the following checklist may help avoid costly mistakes....

Odor
Minimizing the impact of odor on neighboring residents is a combination of:

~Recognizing the prevailing wind direction. In North Dakota, this is usually from the north west or south east (or north/south in the Red River Valley).
~Using topography to your advantage. Odor tends to "drain" down slope in the evening in summer.
~Reduce visual impact. Visual confirmation of dust is more likely to result in odor complaints. Windbreaks will also help break up odor plumes and provide stock protection.
~Providing a buffer distance to the neighbors. It is difficult to specify a particular buffer distance without taking into account the previous factors. Be aware that odors from some larger facilities have been detected 4 to 5 miles distant. Anyone planning a facility within 1 to 2 miles of neighboring dwellings will have to provide more detailed information on how they plan to minimize odor."

Read More...

(The above web site

-produced by the North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service-

is extremely informative about the precautions that should be taken regarding livestock waste management.  How does the proposed MEGA-dairy intend  to address these concerns?)

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When the wind blows across the MEGA-dairy lagoon and toward town, say good-by to outdoor family gatherings and visits on the front porch.