Manure Storage Facility Ordinance Passed
THANK YOU to all who signed the petition in support of adopting the "Manure Storage Facilities" ordinance for St. Croix County! THANK YOU to all who contacted your St. Croix County Supervisors! THANK YOU to all who spoke up for water protections!
Tonight, Tuesday January 7, 2025, the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the "Manure Storage Facilities" ordinance after making three more amendments to it.
One of those amendments, which passed unanimously, made the protections for our water quality a bit stronger:
Section 11.3. D. 2. A. 6) was amended to strike the words "if possible" and insert the words "unless the data is not available".
However, the other two amendments weakened proposed protections for our water quality:
Section 11.2 A. 3. a. was amended on a vote of 16 to 2 to strike the requirement that fields not be included in more than one nutrient management plan (NMP).
Section 11.3. D. 2. a. 3) was amended on a vote of 16 to 2 to strike the requirement that the Snap Plus database for an NMP also must be provided with the initial application for the operation permit for a new or expanded manure storage facility.
A fourth amendment that would have better protected the property rights of landowners whose lands are included in the NMP for a new or expanded manure storage facility failed to be adopted, on a vote of 13 to 5:
Section 11.3 D. 2. a. 5) failed to be amended to require that all land application agreements must be made with landowners.
Although we wanted even stronger protections for the quality of our groundwater, rivers, and lakes in the "Manure Storage Facilities" ordinance, the ordinance as adopted IS an improvement over the "Animal Waste Storage Facilities" ordinance it replaced because at least now the ordinance requirements clearly will apply to manure storage and handling by any entity regardless of whether that entity also owns or raises livestock, including applying to a manure digester.
We all worked hard to make the "Manure Storage Facilities" ordinance a stronger tool for protecting the quality of our groundwater, rivers, and lakes in St. Croix County--thank you for all you did to help!
We must and will carry on with our work to protect our water quality.
We all need and want clean water!