April 6 DNR Public Hearing on General Permit for CAFOs
More complete information on this issue will be forthcoming.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding hearings statewide on their proposal for General Permits for the water discharge permits (WPDES) for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), including one on April 6 at 1:00 in Viroqua at the Firehouse Restaurant, 804 S. Main St., one in Eau Claire on April 8, 2010 at the Ramada Inn Convention Center, Lower Ballroom, 205 South Barstow St, and one in Fitchburg on April 13 at 1:00 at the Fitchburg Community Center.
This move to a general, 'one size fits all' CAFO permit reduces citizen input and streamlines the CAFO permitting process. We have already seen an inadequacy of the EA process here and a further dilution of scrutiny of unique situations is unwarranted. Presently this proposal affect dairy CAFOs only, and we anticipate that other livestock interests will put pressure forward to include them if this goes through.
According to the DNR letter on the General Permits sent to interested parties on March 12, the time saved by using a General Permit model "will help us maintain and potentially increase compliance inspections." We are not convinced. Our experience in Crawford County suggests that serious environmental issues brought forward by independent experts brought little in the way of changes to the WPDES permit for the local Roth CAFO. Adding a "fast track" to the process only favors the CAFO applicants, not rural communities.
Issues already exist concerning large amounts of untreated manure on the land, little monitoring, and no enforcement from the DNR. Further, concerned citizens are required to do water monitoring within CAFO watersheds as the DNR does not. For information from the DNR go to http://dnr.wi.gov/runoff/ag/permits.htm
According to the DNR two different general permits are proposed:
- One for dairy operations with 1,000 to 5,720 animal units would require them to meet the same water quality standards used in the individual permits. DNR would retain the ability to write individual permits when staff determine it's necessary to protect public health and lakes, rivers, wetlands and groundwater.
- A second permit for smaller livestock operations that have had past manure problems and which have fewer than 1,000 animal units. This permit would be used in limited instances.
How to Send in Comments
Public comments are accepted on the proposal from February 19, 2010, through April 23, 2010. Comments may be submitted in writing to Gordon Stevenson, Bureau of Watershed Management (WT/3), 101 S. Webster Street, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921, (608) 267-2759 or via e-mail at one of the following e-mail addresses:
