Another swine CAFO makes WI permit bid
Large-scale animal feeding operators, (CAFOs), their pollution records and related demands for eased regulation and Wisconsin groundwater are repeatedly in the news.
One-third of these industrial-scale operators are running on expired permits, and the Department of Natural Resources, (DNR), has ignored its own pollution enforcement rules 94% of the time, state auditors found.
And that flow of news continues: DNR records indicate that a Minnesota business has filed an application to open a CAFO housing swine equal to about 8,000 animal "units" in Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin by a Minnesota-based business:
The application by an Iowa swine producer for a larger capacity swine CAFO in Bayfield County in northwestern Wisconsin is still pending.
CAFO's, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, house at least 700 animals, or fewer if certain discharge standards are met, according to the DNR.
There are more than 200 CAFOs in Wisconsin; most feed dairy cattle, DNR records show.
One-third of these industrial-scale operators are running on expired permits, and the Department of Natural Resources, (DNR), has ignored its own pollution enforcement rules 94% of the time, state auditors found.
And that flow of news continues: DNR records indicate that a Minnesota business has filed an application to open a CAFO housing swine equal to about 8,000 animal "units" in Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin by a Minnesota-based business:
Timberwolf RE, LLC plans to construct a farrowing barn, gestation barn, gilt development unit (GDU) barn, and a composting building. The farm will have about 2848 mixed animal units consisting of 15 boars at 350 lbs., 5660 sows at 275 lbs., 640 nursery pigs at 25 lbs., and 1280 pigs at 150 lbs. All swine are 100% confined and no bedding is used.
There will be two under barn concrete manure storage basins below the gestation and GDU barn. The farrowing barn manure will be collected in a concrete tank beneath the barn and transferred and stored in the storage basin beneath the gestation barn. The gestation barn manure storage basin will have capacity of about 6.38 million gallons and the GDU manure storage basin will have a 986,000 gallon capacity.
CAFO's, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, house at least 700 animals, or fewer if certain discharge standards are met, according to the DNR.
There are more than 200 CAFOs in Wisconsin; most feed dairy cattle, DNR records show.
2 comments:
James,
I dont know how to get you this except here:
From: Aquino, Mark D - DNR
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2017 4:25 PM
To: DNR DL OBSS STATE ; DNR DL EAS
Cc: DNR DL BES Division Leadership Team
Subject: INFORMATIONAL: CAFO Regulatory/Enforcement Authority: DNR to DATCP
**This message is being sent to staff of programs listed below. **
To staff in: External Services, Drinking Water and Groundwater, Water Quality, Remediation and Redevelopment, Enforcement, and Fisheries Management
From: Mark Aquino, Pat Stevens, Sanjay Olson, and Todd Schaller
As part of his multi-faceted rural agenda, Governor Walker announced Thursday that he has asked the DNR to start working with DATCP and the EPA on transitioning CAFO regulatory and enforcement authority from DNR to DATCP.
Please understand that it is too early in the process to even begin to outline for you how this will work or to answer the various questions you might have on hearing the news. Many details need to be worked out and any move will require legislative and EPA approval.
In general, we see this as an extension of our own alignment process where we have moved related programs once covered by two or more DNR divisions into one division to streamline the process. Currently, the two agencies have different rules impacting CAFOs, so it makes sense to evaluate how to consolidate them under one agency instead of having CAFOs answer to two different agencies.
We at the DNR have experience in these complex moves and changes. Alignment, HR Shared Services, and PECFA are all examples of how we can work through these projects that provide benefits and more efficient services for our customers.
No timetable has been set but we will immediately begin exploring how such a move can take place. We will keep you posted as the process moves forward.
Please note that Jim Dick will be the spokesperson on this issue.
Thank you
We are committed to service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey to evaluate how I did.
Mark Aquino
Administrator – Business Support and External Services
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
mark.aquino@wisconsin.gov
Thank you for sending it. You can see that and more, here: https://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2017/10/walker-figures-out-new-way-to-serve.html
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