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Great Lakes
Article:
Centerville
residents decry farm expansion plan
Cleveland
dairy would become largest in state
Neil
Rhines
Green Bay Press Gazette
12/11/2002
MANITOWOC - Health and environmental concerns drew nearly
200 concerned people to express their feelings on a proposed
town of Centerville dairy expansion.
About 200 people flooded the room and adjacent hallways
at the Manitowoc County Office Complex on Tuesday night
to voice their trepidation about a potential 4,718-cow
addition to Maple Leaf Dairy in Cleveland.
The expansion to about 6,000 cows would make Maple Leaf
Dairy on Manitowoc County X the largest in the state,
something Judith Perlman said she is concerned with. Tuesday’s
meeting was an informational session, no decisions were
made.
“This
is a special area, it determines some special oversight,”
Perlman said.
This is the second major farm development that has stirred
controversy from Manitowoc County residents.
Norval Dvorak and his family members have proposed a 5,000-head
feedlot in the Manitowoc County town of Gibson. If that
plan is approved, the cattle would be shipped from the
farm to Packerland Packing Co. of Green Bay, about a 30-mile
trip.
Meanwhile, Maple Leaf Dairy must secure a county manure
management permit, as well as a permit from the Department
of Natural Resources to proceed with the expansion.
Maple Leaf currently has a permit up for reevaluation
that addresses runoff, manure storage and manure management
issues, DNR agent Tom Bauman said.
The DNR will draft a permit and environmental assessment.
Public notice will be given, and a public hearing will
probably be held for sometime next month.
Maple Leaf Dairy lays in the previously polluted Point
Creek and Fischer Creek watersheds.
Maple Leaf Dairy’s proposed expansion would place
the watersheds and Lake Michigan at risk, Perlman said.
Many in the crowd voiced concerns about the manure that
will be generated on the farm and how it would be handled.
Bill Wiesmueller advocated identifying responsible parties
for any future contamination, and the posting of a bond
to ensure money is available to fix a problem should damage
occur.
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