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-

Letter Addressing Some of the Comments that Commissioner Carr Had Published

in Our Local Newspaper

The first question I have for our leader, Commissioner Carr, is:  How can you write, “I am not for or against the proposed dairy farm”?  This seems a little fishy considering that the Van Bedaf’s application has Commissioner Carr’s property listed as a potential recipient of their manure.  Perhaps he never read their application, or the Van Bedaf’s just pulled his name out of a hat.

As to the raid on the dairy near Towner, that is a matter of record.  I’m not sure if the raid involved illegals (people here in our country without permission) from Mexico , China , Brazil or Mars.  Wherever they were from, they were breaking the law.  The last time I checked, our duly-elected public officials take an oath to support and defend our laws, not make excuses for law breakers.   

I invite Commissioner Carr to actually make a tour (not a phonecall) of a few of the Mega-dairies in our state and see just how many of their staff have this minor problem of being in this country illegally.

Maybe the Van Bedaf’s will only hire graduates from our local universities to put feed in one end and take away the waste from the other, maybe they won’t ruin the roads (all to our expense), maybe our water won’t be polluted from the 20 million gallon lagoon of waste, maybe the winds this summer will not come from the southeast and northwest as the winds usually do, and maybe we won’t smell the manure, and maybe being 2.7 miles from our town will seem like 10 miles away, and maybe the sun will start coming up in the west and setting in the east.   

Since this whole proposal has finally been made public, I’ve heard:  “You can’t stop it.” “It’s a done deal.”  “These dairy operations have been planned for years.”   Then I read (in the paper) from Commissioner Carr that he is still undecided.  Which is it? 

The web site  www.StinkFreeCarrington.com asks the question:  “Is this the only proposed mega-dairy, or are there many more coming?”  It is time to ask Commissioner Carr how many other mega-dairies are in the planning stage.  Is Carrington going to be circled by mega-dairies?

And, as a county commissioner, how can Mr. Carr be unbiased about the proposed mega-dairy when he has supposedly signed up to benefit from their manure dispersal?  In this, and in future dealings with Mr. Carr, how can Foster County citizens trust him to protect their interests, when he is apt to put his own personal benefit over theirs?

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.   

All the content of this web site (except links to other web sites) is solely the property and responsibility of Ted Keller, dba YourCounties.Com.  Any questions, objections or comments about the content of this web site should be directed to info@stinkfreecarrington.com.  We promote and advocate free speech in this forum and invite opinions of others.