Environmental groups strike at CAFOs in northeast Indiana

Barbara Sha Cox, Richmond, heads a grass-roots group, Indiana CAFO Watch. This week, she sent a regional petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addressing water contamination and impact to the Western Lake Erie Watershed. The petition called for EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to declare the basin an impaired watershed based around potential harmful impacts of manure pollution by CAFOs.

The petition was signed by some 30 environmental groups that included the Steuben County Lakes Consortium, DeKalb County Citizens for Conservation, Save Maumee and Indiana CAFO Watch.

CAFOs are agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing.

“This coalition believes the drinking water crisis in Toledo (Ohio) should have been a wake-up call to the potential impact massive amounts of nutrient-rich animal waste pose to the safety of Lake Erie. Consequently, the aforementioned groups believe taking a regional approach is imperative because of the cumulative impact CAFO waste in all three states is having on the Western Lake Erie Basin,” the petition said.

Environmental concerns over a proposed Angola CAFO have been heavily expressed in the last year in and around Steuben County.

Keith Werner, a third-generation farmer and K&D Contract Pork owner, is proposing a 4,800-hog CAFO in an agriculturally-owned site at 6100 W. C.R. 200N in rural Angola. His proposal will go before county officials first on Wednesday.

Cox talks water, CAFOs

Cox’s petition recommends banning the winter application of manure, requiring valid nutrient management plans for all CAFOs and establishing numeric nutrient standards for Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

“This is a vital step in protecting the water. Clean water should be the goal of all residents and farmers. Our most valuable resource must be preserved for the future generations,” Cox said. “If we don’t get a handle on it, manure will be a hot potato. We’ve been told big ag will feed the world, but that’s not true when you see all the devastation.”

Cox said she’s no stranger to agriculture. She is a fourth-generation farmer and pro-ag and definitely doesn’t oppose the industry.

“There are some CAFO owners who do an excellent job. There’s a multitude of others who feel it’s their right to farm,” she said. “Without careful planning, you’re asking for an economic fiasco.”

Werner’s IDEM permit and proposal

Werner’s CAFO is proposed for a 60-acre site near Pine Canyon, Crooked and Lime lakes and Lake Gage. He has proposed two barns, each containing a maximum 2,400 grow-to-finish hogs. He received his Indiana Department of Environmental Management CAFO permit in January 2014.

The county will have the final say over whether he can begin operations. Werner is requesting a special exception for the CAFO since it has more than 600 pigs proposed.

The special exception will be considered by the Steuben County Plan Commission at 7 p.m., Wednesday, in the Steuben Community Center, 317 S. Wayne St. No public comment will be taken.

The plan commission will forward a decision that’s favorable, unfavorable or no recommendation to the Steuben County Board of Zoning Appeals. The BZA’s meeting will be held in the same location, but in the auditorium on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. Public comment will be taken. The BZA makes the final decision on the special exception.

Frank Charlton, Steuben County plan director, said deciding a special exception request is based on affects on the comprehensive plan, runoff to lakes, negative impact, smell, ground water and impact on environment.

Werner has stressed he fully intends to be a good neighbor. In his application to the county, Werner wrote, “The hog facility proposal will not be injurious to public health, safety or general welfare of the community because I am required and will follow IDEM rules and regulation for management of my hog facility. My hog facility will also meet all IDEM requirements for dead animal removal and manure spreading and hauling. There is a large concern about size, however, I do not feel that it will be anymore injurious than having eight neighbors that each have 600 hogs a piece, where none of them would be required to operate within an IDEM permit.”

In his business plan, Werner said the bulk of manure spread will happen March 1-May 15 in the spring and Sept. 15-Nov. 15 in the fall. Manure will be removed from the facility using either semi tankers or tractor-drawn tankers. There will be approximately 285 loads of manure hauled out per year, he said.

Lakes Consortium shares concerns

Steuben County Lakes Consortium is a citizens’ group wanting to protect water quality and the environment.

Tom Danford, the consortium’s spokesman, said the group’s concerns came about long before Werner and his CAFO proposal.

“We support any efforts to clean up lakes in the area. We were formed on a local level and we have interest in the Pigeon and Fawn rivers,” Danford said. “We’re not anti-ag or anti-business. We recognize we have a very precious resource here in Steuben County and want to protect it. We need to be good citizens. Our concern is to safeguard the gems we’ve been blessed with in Steuben County.”

The environmental worries have been plentiful and not just by the lakes consortium. Opposition to Werner’s CAFO has been strong with well-attended meetings. This newspaper has printed several letters to the editor and taken national calls of concerns.

IDEM weighs in

Barry Sneed, IDEM public information officer, said the main purpose of a CAFO permit is for protection of state waters.

“We do not permit any farm that by its design will impact waters of the state. There have been accidents in the past when an equipment failure or spill occurred, however, those instances are rare. IDEM has a 24-hour spill line for emergency response. The majority of calls that we receive related to farms each year are from farms that are not regulated by IDEM” through the CAFO permit program, Sneed said.

Once a permit is granted, IDEM enforces it and violations are handled, he said. If a CAFO had repeated violations, IDEM can revoke the operation’s permit, Sneed said.

For more details, visit IDEM’s website, in.gov/idem/landquality/2349.htm.

A special exception for Keith Werner on a proposed 4,800-hog confined animal feeding operation in rural Angola will be considered by the Steuben County Plan Commission at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 6, in the Steuben Community Center, 317 S. Wayne St. No public comment will be taken during the meeting.

The plan commission will forward a decision that’s favorable, unfavorable or no recommendation to the Steuben County Board of Zoning Appeals.

The BZA’s meeting will be held in the same location, but in the auditorium on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. Public comment will be taken. The BZA makes the final decision on the special exception.

A special exception is needed from the county due to the size of the proposed CAFO being more than 600 hogs.