wells and air... what are they worth?
Brown County lost 150 wells to ag contamination. Walkersville Maryland lost municipal wells for a while (2008). And Walkerton Canada had thousands sickened and 7 died. Don't anyone ever think, 'well it can't happen here".
What leakage is there? Usually a spokesperson will just say its a trickle or "1x10-7 cm/sec"... That's the in-lab test they have to meet. Field (actual leakage tested on manure pits that are in service) tests have been much higher. Peer-reviewed articles by Parker, Schulte, Ham, Benson, and others would say that you should expect 1,000 gallons per acre per day! Yikes!
How many feet of soil are below the pits and above the aquifer? What kind of soil is it?

A family member farms hundreds of acres on the prairie...where have you seen drain tiles on aerial photos? The rock prairie is largely plano silt loam which is already a well drained soil - drain tiles would be counter-productive. There are no drainage ditches, so perhaps what you're seeing is the paleo-channels from the glacial meltwater?

Dwight-where did you get your info? I am shocked to hear there is no drain tile in the rock prairie, since it is visible in aerial photography. Also, the local water supply still services private wells even with great soil attenuation properties, so it has potential to affect the neighbors wells..

@Oreally - there are no drainage tiles on the rock prairie, and the chances of the manure being moved into a stream or river is almost nil. The slope of the soils is <2% with no nearby waterways.
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@partarican1 - the depth to water groundwater for much of the rock prairie is 25-50' with much of it being closer to the 50'. Local farmers have been spreading significant amounts of liquid manure on the fields for years. The ZOC (Zone Of Contribution) for the locale of the farm to the nearest municipal well is over 500 years. The soils are also ranked as the "best" for contamination attenuation.
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The farm will be built in an area with great soil contaminant attenuation, zero contribution to any municipal water supplies, and a fairly large depth to groundwater. Because the ground is almost non-sloping, the movement of any contaminated water would be virtually nil anyway.

Unfortunately the Gazette needs a geography lesson again. Sharine Rd is a little over a mile west of the county line.

The Rock River watershed is already impaired by phosophorus pollution: http://dnr.wi.gov/news/mediakits/mk_phos... I'm sure this place isn't going to help that. I have a hard time considering this farming. It's a factory, run by a corporation.

really Eman? what do you know about pollution from factory farms?

As I've said before-this will make a great thesis topic for my graduate studies...agricultural impacts on water quality..
There is a reason Rock County doesn't already have factory farms. Larson Farms out in Magnolia is the largest right now and look at this issues associated with it. And just because a few farmers think its a good idea doesn't mean it is. Rock prairie is very close to the groundwater surface, and manure application under the wrong environmental conditions can very easily spell disaster for water quality. If I didn't have to be in class I would be there tonight. I hope there will be another informational session in the future.

What a great place for it! That is as close to being in the middle of nowhere as there is in Rock County. Biggest problem I see is the golfers at Prairie Woods will smell the cows on occasion.

rprp
What is the name of the union you are talking about?

You can't blame the farmer, blame the governments that is controlled by the farmers union for making Wisconsin a tax heaven for farmers and the seniors and working families have to pay the farmers burden of taxes.

MooooooVe over - here I come. Half my family are farmers so I need to educate myself. :-)

Industrial size, "franchise" farms do not benefit the local economy, do not provide jobs, harm small, local farmers and the animals, and do not protect our precious Wisconsin agricultural environment: http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/d...

I only want to know if Mr. Tuls injects rBGH bovine growth hormome into our milk ?

Oh-oh! THE MATRIX, for cows!

"Take the red pill," Bessie. - MOOrpheus

"the waste created by his cows"

This is liquid manure, folks, not cow patties. And they're proposing to inject it into the soil? Are you kidding me? Hapless Janesville residents will be drinking it in their water before long.

"a 5,200-cow dairy on Highway 14 at Scharine Road in Bradford Township"

What's in it for Janesville?

A lot of manure: "Manure spread on fields doesn't necessarily stay put, and manure lagoons
aren't necessarily secure. Soupy manure sometimes overflows from storage
lagoons. And once spread on fields, it sometimes seeps into field drainage
tiles or is moved by rain or melting snow until it reaches waterways that
inexorably lead to the lakes and rivers that serve as water sources for
cities and towns. Fish kills along the way occasionally serve to document
the manure's movement through the water system."

These factory farms are no good for the environment and no good for the cows, and that's a fact. And what's in it for Janesville?

I believe this would be very good for the town of Janesville. This would give many jobs for all different things around the farm, many shifts of milking and also businesses around Janesville would have a new account. For those high school and college students or farm kids who are barely making it by doing their own farm chores this farm could help them out alot! I really hope it all works out.

Actually Panama, I have yet to meet a farmer in the area (I have many former acquaintances on the rock prairie in that area) who is against the farm. Many of the neighboring farms have already signed agreements to allow the operation to spread manure on their fields if the operation is given the go-ahead.

"...80 million gallons of waste" "The manure could be spread on the field in solid form or injected into the soil in liquid form."
This doesn't qualify as farming. It more like manufacturing. This type of operation generates as much "waste" as a small community yet there is little regulation on how the waste is gathered, stored or dispersed. Can anyone say "ground water contamination". I'm sure eventually, you'll get used to buying jugs of water at Woodmans. Ask your area farmers what they think.