Proposed Wisconsin Dairy Meets Review Criteria
The following information was released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:
TOWN OF RICHFIELD - A 4,500-cow dairy proposed for Adams County has received the state water protection permit and high capacity well approvals necessary to operate, although it must meet additional requirements aimed at protecting area groundwater and lakes and streams.
Those special conditions require the proposed Richfield Dairy to take additional measures including installing groundwater monitoring wells and leak detection systems in the production area; more conditions regarding the spreading of manure and process wastewater; and limits on monthly and annual groundwater withdrawals.
"We've carefully evaluated the application and the information we received from the public and have determined that the proposed operation meets all criteria within our statutory authority to review," says Russ Rasmussen, deputy water division administrator for the Department of Natural Resources.
"While we believe Richland Dairy will be a responsible operation, we have added extra conditions to prevent problems, but to also identify any problems should they occur."
The dairy is proposed by Milk Source Holdings, Inc., which also owns the Rosendale Dairy. The water protection permit, formally known as a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit, is required under state and federal law when farms reach 1,000 animal units, equal to about 700 milking cows. The permit requires proper planning, construction, and management of manure to protect water quality from harm. The agency's WPDES permitting authority does not extend to addressing where such an operation is sited, nor air, odor, traffic, lighting or other concerns that may be present.
Richfield Dairy's high capacity well application requests an average daily water use of 600,000 gallons and a maximum daily water use of 720,000 gallons for each of the two proposed wells. However, the dairy estimates that its daily water use will average about 144,000 gallons.
DNR staff have concluded that the project will not result in significant adverse environmental impacts.
Information on the project and permit issuance documents, including the DNR's certified Environmental Assessment and the Notice of Final Determination for the permit, can be obtained on the Wisconsin's Largest Farms and Manure Management page of the DNR website (click on the "Richfield Dairy" tab).
