Tremls reach settlement in federal, state lawsuits

The Scott and Judy Treml family, rural Luxemburg, have reached a settlement worth $380,000 in their federal and state lawsuits to clean up and prevent pollution caused by Stahl Farms, a 900 cow concentrated animal feeding operation, in Kewaunee County. The settlement is awaiting review and approval by state and federal courts.
In June of 2004, the Tremls filed a federal lawsuit against Stahl Farms, alleging in part that Stahl had spread 84,000 gallons of liquid manure in late spring of 2004 on a field across the road from their farmhouse. The liquid manure and snow-melt seeped into their well and ran off into a tributary of School Creek that runs along their property. The Tremls claimed that every member of their became seriously ill from exposure to the contaminated water.
"This case shows how my family, my children, and every other rural Wisconsin family is threatened by manure spreading on frozen and snow-covered ground. This isn't just about protecting trout streams. This is about keeping kids out of hospitals, including my daughter. The practice should be banned - period," said Scott Treml, The settlement requires Stahl to pay the Treml family $80,000 as compensation for their illnesses, medical bills, private well replacement, property damage, and other pain, suffering, and inconvenience as a result of contaminating their water. The award also includes a settlement payment to the Tremls' children for their illnesses and medical bills.
"We were able to show that a specific livestock factory contaminated a rural family's well by spreading liquid manure on snow-covered ground," said Andrew Hanson, attorney with Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit environmental law center representing the Treml family. "Groundwater contamination by manure can be proven with limited but careful investigation, and we hope this sends a message to the State that they need to ban this outdated and dangerous practice in its new manure spreading regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations such as Stahl Farms."
Hanson said that, in 2004 and 2005, more than 30 private wells in northeastern Wisconsin were contaminated by manure or other byproducts of producing milk, such as whey. The thin top soil and shallow bedrock common in northeastern Wisconsin, including Door and Kewaunee Counties, makes the area susceptible to groundwater contamination.
Three months after the Tremls filed suit, the State of Wisconsin filed a separate lawsuit in Kewaunee Count Circuit Court, which focused only on Stahl's discharges of manure to School Creek and for failing to meet the requirements of Stahl's DNR-issued pollution discharge permit. The Tremls intervened as plaintiffs in the State's lawsuit to ensure that the outcome of that case would not undercut their efforts to enforce Stahl's discharge permit in federal court.
In addition to compensation to the Tremls, Stahl will also be required to pay up to $100,000 in civil penalties to the State of Wisconsin for violating his water pollution discharge permit. The settlement requires Stahl to implement approximately $200,000 worth of environmental improvements at the concentrated animal feeding operation, including enlarged manure storage structures, runoff control measures, and feed runoff containment systems.
Neither Steven Means or David A Crass, Stahl attorneys for the Glen Stahl Farm were available for comment at deadline Tuesday.



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