Posted May 09, 2005

Animal waste runoff taints area well water

What’s next The animal waste groundwater task force subcommittee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Agriculture and Extension Center, 1150 Bellevue St., Green Bay.

Tighter rules sought on manure spreading in Brown County

By Mike Hoeft
mhoeft@greenbaypressgazette.com

About a dozen wells in southern Brown County were contaminated earlier this year from manure spread on frozen ground.

This has prompted a new subcommittee of residents and county officials to look into what can be done to prevent water pollution caused by farm waste runoff.

Some residents have called for stricter enforcement of runoff rules. county Supervisor Bill Clancy said sources of pollution should be identified first. He said not all farmers have storage pits and must dispose of manure by spreading it on fields. Clancy called for the formation of a task force subcommittee of Land Conservation Subcommittee members, farmers and citizens.

Spreading manure in winter is a practice under fire recently. The state Department of Natural Resources is studying a new statewide rule that would ban winter spreading.

The DNR told county officials that several wells in the Lark Road area became contaminated after animal waste was spread on frozen ground in January and February, causing runoff into the wells.

Marcus Dantinne, who said his well tested fine when he bought his Cooperstown Road property 1½ years ago, said he first noticed in late January that his well water was brown and smelled of manure.

Robert Bonness of Lark Road told the panel that he felt irresponsible spreading of manure in winter was to blame for fouling his 168-foot-deep well. He built his home in 1998 and had no problems until this year. He drilled a new 262-foot well that cost him $10,000.

Todd Christensen, Morrison town chairman, said 11 wells have been identified as contaminated because of the runoff. He suggested new rules or ordinances be developed and said current rules do not meet the needs of protecting groundwater.

Bill Hafs, who directs Brown County’s Land Conservation Department, said that although the amounts of manure spread may have been within guidelines of current state nutrient management standards, federal standards contain language that better defines groundwater protection. He said nutrients are not allowed to be spread to frozen, snow-covered soil if there is a potential risk for runoff.

Agricultural commerce and clean groundwater are at stake in this issue.

Farm-related activities in Brown County contribute $3 billion to the local economy and employ 16,759 people, according to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.

There are about 104,000 cattle in Brown County, annually creating about 170,000 tons of manure. It takes 3 acres of land to accommodate the waste of each animal. But the county has only 156,500 acres suitable for spreading the manure. And that number is diminishing because of suburban growth and new federal and state standards that will make land application more difficult and more expensive.

Soil problems compound the dilemma. Much of this area is characterized by karst topography, which means limestone bedrock, shallow soils, sinkholes and cracks. This can be a problem for large dairies because they manage manure as a liquid, storing it in giant lagoons up to 20 million gallons.

New technological solutions are emerging.

Wiese Bros. Farms in Greenleaf is planning to build the first manure incinerator in the United States this summer, with the goal of producing electricity and ending liquid storage lagoons. The incinerator would cost up to $4 million, but projected savings in manure hauling and other activities would recoup that investment in three or four years.

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