March 10, 2006

IDEM Receiving Technical Comments on Proposed Mega-Dairy Southwest of Bluffton

By JOE SMEKENS

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has announced that it is now receiving public input on a planned mega-dairy operation in Wells County.

Effective March 3, the IDEM has opened a technical comment period on the draft individual permit and application by New Holland Dairy, LLC, which was submitted for state review Sept. 26, 2005.

New Holland Dairy’s application was for construction and operation of a dairy operation which would be located near the intersection of County Road 400 South and Meridian Road, approximately three miles southwest of Bluffton in Liberty Twp.

The proposed facility will consist of two freestall barns confining a total of 1,775 cows.

The permit application for a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) was submitted to comply with both the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Indiana Confined Feeding Control Law.

In a legal notice published in this newspaper on March 4, 2006, the IDEM noted that any public comment should be technical comment which addresses compliance with NPDES and Indiana Confined Feeding Control Laws.

Pointed out by the IDEM notice was that citizens should be reminded that some issues (odor, potential devalued property, and traffic concerns) are not within IDEM’s jurisdiction. Noted by the IDEM are that these concerns are local zoning issues.

The proposed operation would be in an area already zoned A-1

IDEM approval of an application of this nature is based on whether environmental requirements are met.

The IDEM does not supercede whatever decisions might be made at the county government level.

If the application is approved by IDEM, a development plan would be submitted to the Wells County Area Plan Commission (APC)

The local APC board, after review, will submit a recommendation, based on compliance with zoning requirements, to the Wells County Commissioners, who will have the final word on whether such an operation will be allowed or disallowed.

At this time, there is one mega-dairy farm in operation, located southwest of Petroleum in Nottingham Twp.

Building permits were issued last month by the Wells County Area Plan Commission for another operation in southeast Nottingham Township.

Four Leaf Clover Dairy, based out of Wauseon, Ohio, was issued a permit on Feb. 6, 2006, to build two dairy barns at 7630 East, 1100 South in Nottingham Twp, which is in a remote rural area three miles southeast of Petroleum.

One of the two barns was listed at 108 feet by 530 feet, and the other 108 feet by 403 feet.

The Four-Leaf Clover Dairy operation originally filed an application with IDEM on April 5, 2005, for a facility consisting of three freestall barns confining a total of 2,200 cows.

A IDEM public hearing and information session on that project was held in Bluffton on Aug. 9, 2005.

The New Holland Dairy draft permit and application materials for the Liberty Township project are currently available for review in the Wells County Public Library, 200 West Washington St., and the Wells County Health Department, 223 West Washington St.

The filings may also be viewed at IDEM’s public file room on the 12th floor of the Indiana Government Center-North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, during normal working hours.

The draft permit is also available on IDEM’s agency’s web page at: http://www .in.gov /idem/land/permits/notices/index.html.

Persons presenting technical comments are requested to submit one written copy of the comment and submit it to IDEM within 30 days of publication of the notice on March 4, which would be a deadline of April 3, 2006.

Comments may be sent to Thomas F. Park, Jr., Ph.D.; OLQ- Solid Waste Permits Section, 100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2241.

The IDEM toll-free phone number is 1-800-451-6027.

According to the IDEM notice, concerns will be summarized and a document will be drafted in which a response will be given for each concern. A copy of the responsiveness summary will be mailed to each person· who submits written comment if a complete, legible address is provided to IDEM with the comment and to all who register at the public hearing and express an interest in receiving notice of IDEM’s final decision.

No date has been set at this time for a public hearing.

The facility must be constructed and operated in accordance with the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Rule (327 lAC 5-4-3 and 327 lAC 15-15) and Indiana’s Confined Feeding Operation Rule (327 lAC 16).

IDEM requirements include:

—Each freestall barn will have concrete floors and scraped to direct manure to a liquid collection and storage system.

—The manure and process wastewater will be directed first to a concrete sand settling basin and secondly to a wastewater storage lagoon.

—The settling basin will be a two-compartment reinforced concrete structure and the storage lagoon will have a compacted clay liner.

—All milking parlor wastewaters will be directed to the manure/process wastewater storage system.

—The raw materials and feed storage area is designed to collect silage leachate and the storm water up to the 25-year, 24-hour rain event.

—All manure and process wastewaters will be land applied by the permittee, or distributed to other persons for land application or converting to compost.

—The milk chilling process utilizes groundwater and a non-contact cooling device.

—The non-contact water will be collected for recycling as drinking water or to mist the cows for cooling purposes.

—Excess non-contact cooling water will be conveyed to an existing field drainage tile.

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