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Friday, May 04, 2007
Environment - IDEM revokes approvals for confined feeding operation in Huntington County
Rebecca S. Green of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette writes today:
Officials at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have revoked the permit for a rural Huntington County dairy accused of fouling local waterways.See a list of ILB entries mentioning "Huntington dairy" here.The 1,400-cow DeGroot Dairy, 8278 W. County Road 200 South near Andrews, is also currently the subject of a court case in which the state is seeking an injunction prohibiting the dairy owner, Johannes DeGroot, from spreading manure from the cows on nearby fields.
On April 9 and 11, IDEM officials responded to reports of manure contamination from the dairy in a tributary of the Salamonie Reservoir. Field tests revealed elevated levels of ammonia nitrogen and E. coli bacteria.
In its letter mailed to DeGroot on Tuesday, IDEM outlines 13 permit violations by the dairy, dating to September 2005 and continuing until the April 11 spill, and IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly revoked the approvals for the confined feeding operation.
The violations include constructing a new silage pad and dry cow barn without a permit, not managing an Oct. 11 manure spill and an unpermitted discharge on April 9 and 11, according to the documents.
DeGroot has 15 days to appeal the decision to the Office of Environmental Adjudication, according to Amy Hartsock, IDEM spokeswoman.
Peter Racher, DeGroot’s attorney, said he anticipates DeGroot will file a petition for review by the Office of Environmental Adjudication.
But neither he nor Hartsock knows what this means for the 1,400 cows munching on feed within the dairy’s barns.
Racher said there is still a question as to how the dairy could be decommissioned in a way that is not harmful to the animals or the environment.
And he said he needs to research whether any agency can allow a significant investment into a private business and then have that agency say it has rescinded the business’ right to exist based on a permit violation.
The permit revocation is also a separate action from the pending court case, both sides said.
On Wednesday, Huntington Circuit Judge Thomas Hakes heard arguments about the April contamination, with the state arguing the manure in the water was the latest in a long line of violations at the dairy and DeGroot’s attorneys arguing the contamination in the water had not been linked to DeGroot’s herd.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 4, 2007 10:11 AM
Posted to Environment