Posted June 19, 2014
Attorney
General J.B. Van Hollen announced a judgment and order against a Viroqua dairy
farm that allegedly discharged manure from its storage facility into a stream,
according to an article on the Washington Examiner available here.
The Wisconsin Ag Connection also published an article available here.
According
to the report, the owners of Lehmann Farms, LLC hooked a pump hose onto the
lower valve of their unit and discharged approximately 20,000 to 30,000 gallons
of manure into an intermittent stream in June 2013, according to Wisconsin
Ag Connection.
The owners
chose to discharge the manure instead of securing additional lands or
temporarily renting space in another farmer’s storage facility, said Van
Hollen. According to court records, the farm did not apply for a discharge
permit nor notify the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after the discharge
took place.
“It is
against the law for farms to discharge manure into Wisconsin’s waters,” said
Van Hollen. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with the DNR to
ensure compliance with the law and to help prevent future violations,”
according to Washington
Examiner.
In
compliance with the judgment and order, Lehmann Farms must apply for a
discharge permit to ensure the farm secures and maintains an acceptable manure
storage capacity. The owners plan to construct a second manure storage facility
at the cost of $300,000.
Lehmann
Farms agreed to pay $15,000 in forfeitures, surcharges, court costs, and
attorney fees.
For more information on environmental law, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
