Emerald Residents On The Edge
St. Croix County's Community Development Department and County Board Committee reviewed the many phone calls and questions they had been receiving regarding the expansion of Emerald Dairy. You can find this info on-line at the County's website here > and start on packet page 83.
We Are Not Alone
Other Wisconsin counties have faced new or expanding industrial contained animal feeding operations - CAFOs for short. According to EPA estimates ( Read More > on page 9), a dairy industrial operation with more than 6,000 cows will produce as much sewage as a city of 1.4 million people!! That's larger than the population of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Milwaukee COMBINED!!! Read more about other Wisconsinites experiences below........
HERE IN SAINT CROIX COUNTY–
"The Community Development Department has received an application to amend the existing 2001 Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for livestock facilities of 500 animal units or more for Emerald Sky Dairy (formerly Emerald Dairy) in the Town of Emerald. The site’s existing CUP allows up to 3,400 dairy cows, which is equal to 4,760 animal units, the applicants are requesting an increase to 8,804 animal units and related structures and facilities. The existing operation currently has 2,460 animal units. Conditional Use Permits are tied to the property or operation and therefore run with the land. Change in ownership does not impact the Conditional Use Permit...."
"Does the Emerald Town Board approve or deny any permit? The Emerald Town Board will make a recommendation to the BOA on the amendment to the existing conditional use permit issued by the County. The town does not issue or approve the conditional use permit. The Emerald Town Board has authority to issue the building permit." Read More >
Visit our Facebook page at "St Croix County Defending Our Water" for the latest info!
KEWAUNEE COUNTY(EAST OF GREEN BAY)–
"Kewaunee County’s 16 CAFOs contribute the bulk of the more than 555 million gallons of liquid manure that are spread on the county’s fields each year, county figures show.
The likelihood that manure from such large farms will contain one or more pathogens is “very high,” according to the EPA, because of the sheer number of animals housed in such operations.
Manure is a veritable stew of more than 150 pathogens that can make people sick, according to a report from the National Association of Local Boards of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These pathogens include E. coli, Salmonella, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. All can cause severe diarrhea and can be deadly for those with weakened immune systems. Infants and young children, pregnant women, the elderly, people who are HIV-positive and those who have undergone chemotherapy — about 20 percent of the U.S. population — are most at risk." Read More >
BAYFIELD COUNTY (ALONG LAKE SUPERIOR)–
"Ted Eastlund, with Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Association, said he supports
the move.
"Even though the state of Wisconsin has limited a county’s control of siting of CAFOs, counties can implement strict operational requirements to protect public health and nuisances,” he told the county board." Read More >
GREEN COUNTY(SW OF MADISON)–
From the Monroe Times, 1/25/16, Read here>
"Todd Tuls wanted to build the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Sylvester Township. His son T.J. operates Rock Prairie Farm east of Janesville, and Tuls said the Green County operation would be a "mirror image" of that facility. Tuls himself owns two similar dairy facilities in Nebraska. Pinnacle Dairy applied to have more than 5,100 cows spread out over 127 acres along County FF and Decatur-Sylvester Road. Construction was due to begin this year.
The DNR on Friday rejected Tuls' plan that specified the location of four waste storage facilities. Because of the lack of proof that the structures would not leach into the groundwater below, the DNRrejected the entire plan. Without the waste storage facilities, the dairywould not have sufficient storage, the DNR said in its report.
Instead, the DNR approved a request from Pinnacle representatives to put ground monitoring wells in place to demonstrate a sufficient separation between the holding tanks and the lower level groundwater. Read More >
"Tuls and his son T.J. did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment on the decision."
