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-

FREE SPEECH IN CARRINGTON?

Our local citizens group has been barred from the use of the City of Carrington Fire Hall because of our opposition to Foster County granting an operational permit for a proposed mega-dairy to be located near our home-town of Carrington.

On February 6, 2008, Leo Straley of our group contacted Carrington Fire Chief Neil Fandrich and was granted the use of the premises for a meeting on February 12, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.  We requested the use of this public place since it is used by groups, such as Weight Watchers, without any cost to the group.

Thereafter, we placed an ad in the local newspaper and posted the information about the meeting's time and location.  We also put that information on our web site.

On February 11, 2008, after the ad was published in the local newspaper and on the web site, Chief Fandrich called Leo and informed him that we couldn't use the Carrington Fire Hall. He stated that our access was being denied because of  the subject of our meeting (the fact that we were opposed to the mega-dairy). Simply put, it appears that our opinions were unpopular with members of the City Council of the City of Carrington, and we were not to be allowed access to this normally public meeting place, the Carrington Fire Hall. After calling back Fire Chief Neil Fandrich to verify as to who exactly gave the order to bar our meeting at the fire hall, he recanted and said that he denied access to the use based on his own opposition to the opinions contained on our web site.

Reason given for change of meeting site

(Published in Foster County Independent: Monday, February 18, 2008)

    "In response to comments on www.stinkfreecarrington.com by their "committee," we would like to clear the air on a few items.

     First of all, the decision was made to not allow the "Committee for Stink Free Carrington" to meet at the fire hall was a collective decision strictly of the members, trustees and chiefs of the Carrington Fire Department.

     In no way was our decision based on any pressure from the City of Carrington council members, mayor or any other person involved in city government.

     It was decided in the light of this hot topic that the fire department did not want to give the appearance we were supporting or opposing this project.  It was not meant, on our part, to stop your meeting.

     Your group was able to have your meeting in the armory, a public building.

     Sorry for any inconvenience!

                     Carrington Fire Department Members

                     Trustees

                     Chiefs"

The decision of the Fire Department to cancel our meeting place a day before our announced meeting was definitely an "inconvenience."  

Since the Foster County Independent (a weekly newspaper) wouldn't be published again until February 18, there was no timely way to announce the date-change in the newspaper. 

How many people who wanted to come to the meeting drove on when they found the fire house dark and no one there?  We were informed by some people that this had happened to them.

So, no matter what the Carrington Fire Department Members, Trustees and Chiefs' intentions were, didn't they stifle our freedom to gather in a public place where they let other groups gather?  Didn't they stifle some community members' freedom to speak and be heard?  Question: Could this be considered a violation of our First Amendment rights?

Click here to print out a copy of the petition.

Near a Large Dairy in ID

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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.