Dairy Project Would Vanish Under Settlement

 A California-based dairy producer will abandon plans for a new facility in Illinois amid concerns about its environmental impact, according to the terms of a proposed settlement.

Under the settlement, A.J. Bos of Bakersfield, Calif., would pay a $1,000 civil penalty and forego building the dairy in JoDaviess County, Ill. Tradition Investments LLC would also commit to "land apply all liquid remaining in the site’s concrete basin and adjoining earthen basin and the digester excavation on agricultural land in compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations."

A copy of the proposed settlement terms may be viewed on the website of the Illinois Pollution Control Board.

The move stems from a five-count complaint filed in April 2011 by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. The complaint alleged that activity at the proposed dairy site had resulted in "unnaturally pink/purple coloration in waters in a tributary of the South Fork of the Apple River" as a result of leachate wastewater application, among other claims.

The proposed agreement means Tradition "neither admits nor denies the alleged violations," a document filed by the Illinois Pollution Control Board states.

Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES), an organization that launched the website www.StopTheMegaDairy.com in opposition to the Illinois dairy proposal, described the development as "the culmination of a five-year battle by concerned land owners fighting to protect their precious water resources and the quality of life of neighboring family farmers and residents."

Dairy Today previously has reported that Bos is planning to open a new dairy in South Dakota early next year.