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Too Much Manure

What:  Public hearing on a proposed Public Health and Groundwater Protection Ordinance, held by the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Committee

When:  Tuesday, Sept. 9, 12:30 – 2:30 pm

Where:  Kewaunee County Fairgrounds Main Exhibit Building, Conference Room 142, 625 Third St., Luxemburg

With a minimum of 554,990,508 gallons of liquid manure applied to rural lands in Kewaunee County each year and 30 percent of the county’s wells unsafe for human consumption due to the presence of coliform bacteria and/or nitrates, an ordinance has been introduced aimed at improving the county’s groundwater.

“Clearly,” the Kewaunee County Public Health and Groundwater Protection Ordinance states, “the County’s high local percentages of wells testing positive for bacteria, and having nitrate levels above the health standard for safe human consumption, supports the conclusion that current regulations covering land application of wastes, in general, are inadequate for protecting human health in the County’s shallow soil depth to carbonate bedrock landscapes.”

The ordinance will be aired at a public hearing on Sept. 9 before going to the county board on Sept. 23. If the board approves the ordinance, each town in the county will then have to put it to referendum.

“We’ve been trying to get some local regulations on covering our shallow karst bedrock areas for a few years now,” said Andy Wallander, head of the county’s Land and Water Conservation Department, which was responsible for writing the ordinance. “It’s an accumulation of things that started the process. Every year we continue to get a high percentage of wells that are either containing bacteria, nitrates or other pathogens, viruses and things. Our job is to do what we can to protect the health and welfare of our citizens.”

The ordinance bans the application of manure from Jan. 1 through April 15 on land having less than 20 feet in soil depth to carbonate bedrock. That amounts to about 15 percent of the land in Kewaunee County.

“I realize it’s a big step for any politician to make but there’s a point where you have to start thinking about the public health and welfare,” Wallander said. “When you’ve got areas that are shallow over fractured bedrock, what you put on the land you will end up drinking eventually if there’s not enough attenuation taking place in the soil. You have to look at major land uses. We’ve got a lot of agricultural land that receives a lot of waste from different sources. This ordinance is an attempt to try and get a handle on cutting back those sources at times of the year when the groundwater aquifer is being greatly recharged.”

Wallander said some may see this as everyone else against the farmers of Kewaunee County, but, ultimately, it’s for everyone’s benefit.

“Even your economic viability is tied to groundwater quality, people moving into your county, industry, tourism. Even farms. They need to have good water quality to function, as well,” he said.

He also points out that the ordinance does not ban winter manure spreading throughout the county.

“That’s not what this ordinance is intended to accomplish,” Wallander said. “This ordinance specifies areas that are shallow to bedrock. It doesn’t specify any other areas. And it’s only in effect during the time period of January 1st through April 15th, which would be your major groundwater recharge period during the year. It targets industrial waste, septage, any things that are land spread in any great amount.”

Wallander said a big turnout is expected at the public hearing, but he has no idea of where the ordinance will go from there.

“I think it will depend a lot on what the public hearing turns out to be,” he said. “I know there are people who think it doesn’t go far enough, and there are people who think it goes too far.”