In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court has ruled that rural towns do not have the authority to enforce tougher water-quality standards on livestock farms than what has already been set by the state.
The Washington Post reports that the town of "Magnolia, a
community about 30 miles south of Madison, granted Larson Acres Inc. a permit
in 2007 when it wanted to expand, but included a number of conditions because
residents blamed it for polluting their water supply. The farm initially had
1,000 cows and now has about 2,900."
Two of these conditions included the farm being required to allow the town to conduct monthly water quality tests on its land, and that it had to follow certain crop-rotation strategies to reduce nitrogen buildup.
Larson Acres Inc. sued, "arguing that pollution-control measures are laid out by the state and can’t be
modified by individual towns."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed, "ruling that the town exceeded its authority by imposing
additional measures."
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