Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter

http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org

shahla.werner@sierraclub.org

222 South Hamilton Street, #11, Madison, WI (608) 256-0565

• Wisconsin has over 15,000 lakes, 12,600 rivers and streams, and

countless creeks.

• We have 103 are Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) and 1,544

Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs)

• Wisconsin is bordered by Lake Superior and Lake Michigan

• Our western border is formed by the Mississippi River

Peninsula State Park

John Muir’s Fountain(Ennis) Lake

15,000 members & supporters in WI

6 Local Groups: Chippewa Valley, Coulee Region, Four Lakes, Fox Valley, Great Waters, Southeast Gateway

3 Special Activity Sections: River Touring Section, Inner City Outings and Sierra Student Coalition

Executive Committee: 15 elected volunteers (9 at-large, 6 group delegates)

3 Chapter Staff: Chapter Director - Shahla WernerChapter Coordinator - Jacinda Tessmann, Conservation Programs Coordinator - Elizabeth Ward

Priorities: Reducing Climate Change through Clean Energy and Clean Transportation; Protecting Water Resources; Preventing Destructive Mining Impacts; Protecting Native Forests & Wildlife

• We thwarted Perrier’s plans to build a water-bottling plant in Adams

County – 2001

• We pushed for clean-up of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Fox

River

• We supported Federal Wild & Scenic River designation for the St.

Croix & Namekagon Rivers

• We helped secure Wild River status for the Pine, Pike, Popple,

Brunsweiler, and Totogatic Rivers, established by the WI state

legislature in 1965 to preserve select rivers in a free-flowing condition

and to protect them from development.

• We helped pass the historic Great Lakes Compact - 2008

• We helped pass a ban on Phosphorus lawn fertilizer - 2009

• We supported enactment of the strongest numerical

phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient limits in the nation - 2010

Protecting Water Supply: Opposing efforts to deregulate high capacity wells; supporting new Groundwater Management Areas, spring protection, statewide water conservation

Protecting Water Quality: Opposing uninspected, minimally enforced, highly subsidized factory farms or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) whose runoff and manure spills kill fish, contaminate drinking water and cause algal growth and dead zones in water bodies; Supporting increased water program staffing, increased inspections and enforcement; increased local control over livestock siting; stronger waste spreading rules; sustainable farms

70% of Wisconsinites and 97% of inland communities depend on groundwater for drinking water

Wisconsin uses about 760 million gallons of groundwater per day.

Rainfall over Wisconsin averages 32 inches annually, but only 6-10 inchesof it soaks in to become groundwater.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Photo by Tom Kujawski/For the State JournalRobert’s Irrigation of Plover drilling a high capacity well in Portage Co.

There are over 3,000 high

capacity wells permitted in the

Central Sands Area, where

surface water drawdowns are

already occurring, according to

the Friends of Central Sands.

The proposed Richfield Dairy

in Adams County would house

4,300 cows and pump 72.5

million gallons of groundwater

each year (138 gallons / min)

The 2011 Lake Beulah vs. DNR State Supreme Court decision

stated that the DNR has the authority – and the responsibility – to

consider the environmental impacts of significant groundwater

removal.

09/03/14, Judge Boldt ruled that DNR could approve the WPDES

permit for the proposed 4,200-cow Richfield Dairy in Adams County, but

also ruled that DNR “took an unreasonably limited view of its authority” in

not considering cumulative impacts of high capacity wells and he reduced

the permit by 28% to allow a maximum withdrawl of 52.5 million gallons per

year.

Should Judge Boldt’s ruling stand, 2013 budget Motion 375, which prohibits

citizens from challenging high capacity wells based on cumulative impacts,

American Rivers rated Central Wisconsin’s Little

Plover River as the 4th Most Endangered River in the

US in 2013

Images: Friends of the Little Plover River

1997

2005

• Protecting DNR authority to consider cumulative impacts

of permitting new high-capacity wells

• Promoting rain barrels and water-saving appliances

• Supporting strong oversight for the Waukesha’s proposed

diversion under the Great Lakes Compact

• Supporting wetlands protections

• Continue to pass local groundwater resolutions (Adams,

Waushara, Wood, and Portage have passed them; Dane is

considering)

• Fight attempts to deregulate High Capacity Wells at State

Capitol (and through in-district meetings)

• Call legislators on World Wetlands Day, Feb. 2, 2015 – talk

about value of local resources in district for flood prevention,

protecting property values, aquatic habitat, water quality

Alert! On Nov. 19, 2014 Gov. Walker replaced UW Stevens Point professor George Kraft with potato grower Stephen Diercks on the Groundwater Coordinating Council. Diercks has donated $4,450 to Gov. Walker’s campaigns since 2009.

Wisconsin has over 260 Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) or factory farms, most of which are dairies. A CAFO is defined as an operation with at least 1,000 confined Animal Units, or at least 700 dairy cows, 55,000 turkeys, or 20,000 laying hens.

Wisconsin’s Livestock Siting Law, enacted in 2004, along with DATCP’s “Siting Rule,” issued by (DATCP) in 2006, restricts ability of local governments to direct the location of new CAFOs through zoning or protective ordinances. Sierra Club urged implementation of the 2010 Livestock Siting Rule recommendations during it’s 2014 review.

The number of CAFOs skyrocketed after the Livestock Siting Law / Rule was enacted in 2006

Jeff Glaze – State JournalMonona’s Hudson Beach closed 2012

UW-Madison Photo LibraryLake Mendota algae

Phosphorus from farm runoff, leaves & fertilizer leads to toxic blue-green algal blooms in Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers and streams; threatening public health and closing beaches http://wisconsinwatch.org/2014/04/yahara-beach-closures-highlight-algae-bacteria-threats/#illnessmap

Phosphorus pollution (550,000 lbs enter the Bay each year) is responsible for a growing dead zone that starts north of Green Bay and extends for 30 miles.

The number of hypoxic days has increased from 4 in 1990 to 43 days in 2011.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/scientists-dead-zone-showing-up-in-green-bay-b9977069z1-219902171.html

Lake Erie’s water quality has been declining, with toxic algal dead zones that can span 2,000 square miles due to problems with agricultural runoff, yet MI and OH have not listed it as “impaired,” requiring Phosphorus cuts.

Aug. 2014: Toledo officials warned 400,000 citizens not to drink the water for 2 days due to high levels of blue-green algae, or microcystin, which can cause "abnormal liver function, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, numbness or dizziness."

Maumee Bay State Park – August 2014

Toledo Mayor Michael Collins warned the Senate Agriculture Committee on Dec. 3, 2014: “If we forget what happened in Toledo, it is doomed to be repeated."

Apr 15, 2014, The DNR held a public hearing on April 15, 2014 to consider whether to issue Adam’s County’s Burr Oak Heifers an ACL for nitrates of 28 mg/L for their 3,300 cattle lot. On Dec. 2, 2014 the WDNR issued a permit for Burr Oak Heifers, but they denied the ACL, partially because of numerous public comments received (Sierra Club sent an Action Alert, wrote articles, attended hearing)

Sep. 23, 2014, The Kewaunee County Board unanimously passed an ordinance (20-0) to prohibit the unconfined stockpiling and / or land application of wastes on land areas within Kewaunee County having soil depths to fractured carbonate bedrock of 20 feet or less between January 1st and April 15th. (81 comments; Laura Menefee testified)

Oct. 22, 2014, MEA, MEDC, Clean Wisconsin, and Kewaunee Cares petition EPA for emergency action to address countywide water contamination under Safe Drinking Water Act

Oct. 31, 2014, Judge Jeffrey Boldt blames "massive regulatory failure” on Kewaunee Co. water contamination & orders DNR to modify discharge permit for Kinnard Farms, requiring at least 6 monitoring wells and a cap on the dairy’s size

Karst is an area of irregular limestone characterized by fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns. Karst areas are especially vulnerable to pollution, as waste can travel long distances.

Karst areas should be mapped statewide, and afforded stronger waste spreading protections.

Wisconsin should also require Nutrient Management Plans for spreading industrial and municipal (non-manure) waste statewide

“The Day Enforcement & Science Died”

Aug. 19, 2013, DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp:

“The Division of Enforcement and Science will be

eliminated as a Division and its component parts –

Law Enforcement and Science Services – will

report to the Secretary’s Office.”

Under the reorganization, “the Chief Warden will

report directly to the Deputy Secretary” and

“effective immediately, the Bureau of Science

Services will become a part of the Office of

Business Support and Sustainability and report

directly to the Office’s Director.”

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/se

arch?q=dnr+enforcement+and+science

Town of Ripon residents near the 8,000 cow Rosendale CAFO can participate in a well water sampling program sponsored by Fond du Lac County UW-Extension and the Town of Ripon.

6.5% private wells in WI exceed safety standards for nitrates. In past 20 years, 17% of wells sampled near Ripon have tested positive for bacteria http://www.riponpress.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&ArticleID=2422

Rosendale’s WPDES permit was renewed in 2013. The WDNR reduced the land-spreading setback from private wells from 200 to 100 feet.

2002: Maple Ridge Dairy (Central WI) spread 250,000 gallons liquid manure

onto 32 acres frozen field in February near their Stratford farm in Marathon

county. Run-off traveled onto neighbors’ land and a tributary feeding the Big

Eau Pleine River. http://www.wsn.org/factoryfarm/stratford_manure_spill.html

March 2004: Stahl Brothers Farm (Northeastern WI) spread tens of

thousands of gallons of animal waste on a field across the from the Tremls’

home, causing every family member, including their 7 month-old, to become

seriously ill from contaminated water. In April 2009 the same farm had a

manure pit leak that sent 100,000 gallons of manure into a waterway

November 2013: A pipe ruptured at the Dane County Digester, spilling

300,000 gallons of manure into Six Mile Creek. Aggressive clean-up efforts

were employed, and a berm and automatic shutoff valve was constructed.

On January 20 2014, a second spill resulting from a rupture in an above

ground pipe occurred at Clear Horizons, discharging 20,000 thousands of

gallons of manure.

March 2014 brought a third spill at Clear Horizons, followed by an explosion

and fire that occurred on August 6. The DNR referred the facility to the Dept. of

Justice in Nov. 2014 for spills and Phosphorus violations. The DNR found 90

air pollution violations at Clear Horizons, including hazardous levels of sulfur

dioxide and formaldehyde.

Twelve Sierra Club members toured the Holsum Dairy’s Elm Road manure digester on June 7, 2014 in Hilbert, Wisconsin.

Holsum’s Elm Road dairy CAFO has 3,700 cows.

Manure digesters are designed to produce energy, not remove Phosphorus or kill pathogens. Although the digester is designed to produce 1.5 MW of electricity, two of the digester’s chambers were running at lower temperatures due to a water pipe leak.

By capturing the energy and fibrous material from cow “waste”, Holsum’seffluent has 82% less dry matter, 32% less nitrogen, 75% less phosphorous pentoxide (44% phosphorus), and 49% less potassium oxide (83% potassium) when compared to undigested manure.

As a DNR Green Tier business they also incorporated water saving technologies and a communal calf barn that potentially improves socialization over traditional calf huts

May 26, 2014, the 3,000 cow Lake Breeze Dairy of Malone was spreading manure from a hose at night when it ruptured, spilling at least 50,000 gallons of waste into Pipe Creek, killing fish and sending waste into Lake Winnebago

Sep. 8, 2014, A waste spreader spilled manure from Haberli Farms into a sinkhole near Jacksonport, WI, contaminating 14 wells with E. coli and sickening 16 people, including a 3 month old baby

Sep. 16, 2014, 640,000 gallons of liquid manure spilled from Kurt DeGrave’s 250 cow dairy in Brussels in southern Door County, sending manure across fields into Sugar Creek. A preventative check valve was never installed, as the county deemed unnecessary.

• We need to restore some local authority to take into account localized concerns, such as high-quality waterways, unique topography, in siting CAFOs“Uniform state standards” make little sense because our land and natural resources are not uniform!

• We need to return zoning power to local communities so that at least some areas can be maintained “CAFO-free.”

• Waste spreading should be restricted in karst areas

• Digesters should be required to install berms and automatic shutoff valves to mitigate problems if pipes rupture.

• Builds community awareness of pollution problems

• Helps identify and restore problem sites

• Become advocates for their watersheds

• Increases the amount of needed water quality information

available on our waters

Photo: MI Sierra Club

• Restoring Local Control for WI Livestock Siting

• Stronger Waste Spreading Regulations, especially

for Karst areas, and statewide Karst Mapping

• Requiring Manure Digesters to Install Automatic

Shutoff Valves and Berms around pipes

• Pushing the EPA to Create Strong CAFO Rules

• Supporting a federal ban on sub-therapeutic use of

antibiotics in CAFOs

• Citizen Water Monitoring – Take Pictures

• Media Outreach: Press Releases, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr,

Website: sierraclub.org/wisconsin, Muir View, etc.

• Testifying at Public Hearings (Capitol, DNR, DATCP): Focus on proposed

999 AU hog farrowing operation proposed for Town of Eileen, Bayfield Co.

(Reicks View Farm, IA – moving to avoid PEDv, Porcine Epidemic

Diahrrea virus, risks Angel Acres organic pig farm); Purchased 560 acres

for $1.2 million in Oct. 2014.

• Tabling Include information on manure spills; algal blooms, the need for

better regulations and increased inspections

• Outing on lake impacted by algal blooms – with electeds?

• Praising Sustainable Businesses – creating alliances with TU;

Rutabaga