DNR issues expansion permit for Kewaunee County factory farm
[MGN]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Department of Natural Resources will issue permit conditions making it harder for a Kewaunee County factory farm accused of contaminating drinking water to expand.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Friday that the agency will issue Kinnard Farms a wastewater permit that will cap the number of cows on the facility at the current 8,000 head and require the farm to monitor groundwater on at least two sites where it applies manure as fertilizer for contamination.
The DNR had drafted permit conditions that would have allowed the farm to nearly double its 8,000-head herd.
Conservation groups applauded the permit. The state Supreme Court in July affirmed the DNR’s authority to cap the number of animals and require groundwater monitoring.