News
Groundwater contamination issue in Wisconsin
Six environmental groups have filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the agency to investigate groundwater contamination in Kewaunee County in northeastern Wisconsin. The petition charges the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has failed to protect residential drinking water through its powers to regulate groundwater and oversight of large livestock operations.
The petition charges testing by the Center for Watershed Science and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point found 149 of the county’s 483 wells contained bacteria and/or nitrate levels exceeding state and federal standards.
The county has around 80,000 head of cattle on some 200 dairy farms including 15 CAFOs, (concentrated animal feeding operations with at least 700 dairy cows). The groups, citing DNR figures say those animals produce 12.4 million pounds of nitrogen from manure annually, more than the 130,000 acres of harvestable cropland in the county can handle.
Groundwater contamination has been a problem in the county as there are a number of areas where the topsoil is very thin on top of fractured bedrock which allows runoff easy access to groundwater. Because of the situation, manure spreading is prohibited from January 1 through April 15 on areas with less than 20 feet of soil.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the groups filing the petition are: Clean Water Wisconsin, Environmental Integrity Project, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Midwest Environmental Defense Center, Kewaunee CARES and the Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin.
I have to laugh at those people – ever notice how the city-type people who have covered all their land with asphalt & dumped Lord knows what down their sewers – come out to the countryside to complain & file lawsuits over water, over plowing, over spraying, over livestock, etc….Then when election time rolls around, those same people have one of their own run for office. BUT what really blows me away, is how they manage to fool rural people into voting for them too- go figure.