From Bryna Caves

Albany, candidate for State Assembly District 50

To the Editor:

Considering Green County just stood up for the environment and approved a one year moratorium, I thought it would be interesting to investigate another big industry — CAFOs.

Any dairy farm with more than 1000 cows is designated as a Concentrated Animal Feed Operation (CAFO) and Green County has 5.

In Wisconsin, they are regulated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) under the Clean Water Act. The DNR requires these facilities to operate under a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit. The DNR ensures that CAFOs are adhering to strict regulations to protect our environment.

Which is why I was concerned when I found on the DNR website that 3 of the 5 CAFOs in Green County have expired permits. When I emailed them to inquire why, I got this response: “Due to internal workload constraints, we have not reissued the permits for Pinnacle Dairy, Spring Grove Dairy, and Valley Mead Farm yet. The farms continue to operate under an administratively continued permit while the department works through the permitting process.”

The consequences of unregulated CAFOs are dangerous. It can cause air quality and health impacts, potential antibiotic resistance, aquatic and ecological damage, but most importantly it contaminates our drinking water. Manure runoff and seepage introduce high levels of nitrates and pathogens into local groundwater and surface water. Elevated nitrate levels in drinking water have been linked to an increased risk of various cancers.

Did you know that 20% of tested private wells in Green County exceeded the EPA safety standard of 10 mg/L? Elevated nitrates are linked to “blue baby syndrome” in infants, birth defects, and increased cancer risks.

To protect your health, private well owners should test their water annually. Green County Public Health offers free well water testing kits, though you will need to pay a lab processing fee (approximately $35) for analysis at UW-Stevens Point. You can pick up a kit at their office located at N3152 State Highway 81, Monroe, WI.

If your nitrate levels are at or above 10 mg/L, pregnant individuals and infants should immediately stop drinking the water and using it to prepare food or formula. If you are experiencing financial hardships, you may also qualify for free testing through the Wisconsin Well Testing Access Program (WellTAP).

If you are concerned, please sign this online petition to demand DNR accountability: https://c.org/cgbTT7vPhV.