RIPON, Wis. (AP) — A state agency has approved a wastewater discharge permit allowing a dairy in the Fond du Lac County town of Rosendale to expand from fewer than 700 cows to 4,000.

The Rosendale Dairy's project was approved Monday by the Department of Natural Resources.

The 4,000 cows are expected to produce about 46 million gallons of liquid manure a year. Plans call for storing it in large reservoirs and applying it on more than 5,600 acres of cropland.

The farm's owner has said it will meet anti-pollution requirements and give the area an economic boost. But opponents have expressed concern about possible harm to ground water, odor problems and traffic congestion.

A planned expansion to 8,000 cows would have to be approved by the DNR.

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Information from: The Reporter, http://www.fdlreporter.com