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-

 Plausible Deniability

Why do some of our “community leaders” seem to be so upset about our web site and one letter in the local newspaper objecting to the location of the proposed mega-dairy?  The answer to this question concerns "Plausible Deniability."  As long as questions are never asked and opinions are never given publicly,  when things go sour, and the community turns against their leaders for not protecting their rights, those leaders can hide behind the "excuse that they didn’t know anything about the situation"... plausible deniability.

After watching this mega-dairy issue unfold,  I 'm beginning to have concerns that some of Carrington’s public officials have been infected by other elected leaders across the country.  Why is it that once some people are elected, they seem to forget that their citizens should be given a chance to have a say in all aspects of their community projects?  Instead, many of these leaders make deals without telling the public, work with other state/county/city officials, hire attorneys, work with big-money interests, hire experts who will support their proposals, and when they think they have everything in place and that concerned citizens can’t possibly object to their plans, they finally make their plans known to the public.  Why do they work this way? Why don’t they work with the public all along?   Is it because they are afraid that people are too smart and/or too ethical and might challenge them about some of their deals?  Or, do they think that normal, everyday, non-political people are just too stupid to understand what they are doing and are of no use to them?  Hopefully, somewhere there are community leaders who are truly concerned about the welfare of their citizens, and they actually listen to their ideas and opinions before they grant permits and establish regulations which affect a community’s way of life.  We've been told that we’re going to meet some of those outstanding community leaders at the upcoming Zoning and Planning Commission on February 26^th... that all of our leaders aren't as disappointing as the ones who have been trying to stifle our right to know about their deals and our right to freedom of speech.  We're looking forward to that meeting!

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.