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Posted December 6, 2005
Editorial: Community needs answers on manure spills
The
situation in Cleveland between a large dairy farm and its neighbors is
a real mess and we're reasonably sure that all parties would agree
things are only getting worse.
Tod
Leiteritz, the owner of Maple Leaf Dairy, is offering a $15,000 reward
for the capture of vandals he says opened a valve that spread thousands
of gallons of liquid manure over his property on Oct. 12.
This
follows charges by neighbors that a manure runoff from Maple Leaf Dairy
on Sept. 9 caused a major fish fill in Fischer Creek and another
occurred on Oct. 13.
A
group of his neighbors calling themselves Centerville Cares has filed
suit in Manitowoc County contesting the operating permit of the farm,
which is home to 3,500 cattle.
Leiteritz
has alerted the FBI in Green Bay, suspecting "eco-terrorism" and asking
for an investigation of the vandalism and whether federal laws may have
been broken.
The
Department of Natural Resources is investigating the fish kills in
Fischer Creek and manure spills, but has taken no action against the
farm in these latest incidents and issued no reports to date.
The
highly charged atmosphere of this dispute could use a strong dose of
facts and those facts need to come from the DNR. The DNR owes it to all
involved to step up its timeline on completing the reports on the
manure spills in the Cleveland area.
We
know the hundreds of responsible dairy farmers in our area don't enjoy
seeing their industry branded as an environmental problem.
This
is not just Cleveland's problem. It affects everyone living in the
lakeshore area and we need the facts to move forward toward a
resolution.
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