Feed Lot Plan Near Wawasee, Draws Fire From Neighbors
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
CROMWELL - Town council members, facing more than 50 Noble and Kosciusko county residents in the community center Tuesday, went about their business before considering the out-of-towners' issue.
"I want to thank you for coming," said board president Gary Lawrence, "but you are not on the agenda and we will take care of our agenda first."
Those items completed, the council took comments regarding Kevin Davidsen's application to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for confined feeding operation.
The Cromwell planning commission, with a two-mile jurisdiction outside town limits, would review any building permit, if IDEM approves Davidsen's CFO permit.
The Noble County farmer plans to build a finishing barn for 1,000 hogs on CR 200N in Noble County. He would inject manure into his fields and fields he has leased. Some of those acres border Dillon Creek.
Heather Harwood is coordinator for the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation board of directors, and said prior to the meeting the Dillon Creek outlet into Lake Wawasee "is an already challenged area. It is the biggest challenge to the lake as far as incoming sediment."
From the area of Davidsen's farm, the land drops more than 50 feet over a mile. During any significant rain, "the downstream housing development known as Enchanted Hills inherits water resembling chocolate milk," Harwood wrote in a letter to IDEM.
The Enchanted Hills subdivision is along the northeast shore of Lake Wawasee, the state's largest natural lake.
Michael Veenhuizen, a representative of Livestock Engineering Solutions, has been planning the confined feeding lot with Davidsen and spoke about the project.
He described the enterprise as a wean-to-finishing production and involves raising 1,000 12-pound hogs to 260 pounds in a 40-foot by 120-foot building.
Veenhuizen said the building will features a below-ground self-contained concrete manure storage tank that will hold 375 days worth of putrescence, if necessary.
The manure will be injected into 90 acres Davidsen has secured.
"Injection reduces runoff and odor," Veenhuizen said, describing similar buildings and practices in the Millersburg area.
He said the building will be screened by a woods on Davidsen's property and will be constructed north to south.
Veenhuizen said the "seasonal" water table is 1 to 3 feet below the surface and is much lower right after harvest and prior to planting, when injection would occur.
Steve Snyder of Syracuse differed with the engineer, saying a 12-year-old survey of Davidsen's property showed the water table at zero to 1 feet.
Snyder also said there is a drop of 10 feet to Dillon Creek off of Davidsen's land and significant ditches north of the property.
"In 1991, the Davidsens negotiated a 1.2 acre wetlands in the middle of their tract," Snyder said. "That wetlands is protected and regulated. How near will the proposed building be?"
He also reminded everyone that Millersburg soil was completely different than that in the area and relatively flat.
Neighbors said they expected an increase in odors and the fly population and a decrease in property values, and expressed concerns about contaminated ground water.
One man said he feeds his pond with water from Dillon Creek, a practice he would end if the CFO is established.
Area property owners have installed 10 grade stabilization structures along the creek to stem the flow of sediment into Lake Wawasee.
"We've received $600,000 in grant money for Dillon Creek alone," Harwood advised the town council. "Because of its topography, it is the No. 1 hot spot for the conservancy."
Snyder reminded the board members that the town's zoning ordinance doesn't offer any controls regarding CFOs in an agriculturally zoned area.
"You can never turn down a request once IDEM approves the permit," he said.
Lawrence said he heard that a petition requesting the board write a letter against the CFO was in circulation.
"We do not have that petition," he said "There isn't a single town member here. If they bring in the petition, we will draft a letter asking them to deny the permit. I don't want it {the CFO)."
Then he turned to Davidsen.
"Kevin, you're a wonderful man. These people are your neighbors and they don't want it [the lot]. Please take your neighbors' feelings into consideration. You'll have to live with them and their anger the rest of your life."
Town council member Robert Warren asked Davidsen if the facility was worth the risk of ruining someone's pond or well.
"We have 520 people here who are served by a $1 million wastewater treatment plant. The water that goes into the creek is clean. The water that goes in from your fields will not be."
The third town council member is Dennis Brewer.
Davidsen's permit is under review at IDEM. It was submitted Oct. 23. The review should take 90 days. It is known as Lot 6312. [[In-content Ad]]
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CROMWELL - Town council members, facing more than 50 Noble and Kosciusko county residents in the community center Tuesday, went about their business before considering the out-of-towners' issue.
"I want to thank you for coming," said board president Gary Lawrence, "but you are not on the agenda and we will take care of our agenda first."
Those items completed, the council took comments regarding Kevin Davidsen's application to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for confined feeding operation.
The Cromwell planning commission, with a two-mile jurisdiction outside town limits, would review any building permit, if IDEM approves Davidsen's CFO permit.
The Noble County farmer plans to build a finishing barn for 1,000 hogs on CR 200N in Noble County. He would inject manure into his fields and fields he has leased. Some of those acres border Dillon Creek.
Heather Harwood is coordinator for the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation board of directors, and said prior to the meeting the Dillon Creek outlet into Lake Wawasee "is an already challenged area. It is the biggest challenge to the lake as far as incoming sediment."
From the area of Davidsen's farm, the land drops more than 50 feet over a mile. During any significant rain, "the downstream housing development known as Enchanted Hills inherits water resembling chocolate milk," Harwood wrote in a letter to IDEM.
The Enchanted Hills subdivision is along the northeast shore of Lake Wawasee, the state's largest natural lake.
Michael Veenhuizen, a representative of Livestock Engineering Solutions, has been planning the confined feeding lot with Davidsen and spoke about the project.
He described the enterprise as a wean-to-finishing production and involves raising 1,000 12-pound hogs to 260 pounds in a 40-foot by 120-foot building.
Veenhuizen said the building will features a below-ground self-contained concrete manure storage tank that will hold 375 days worth of putrescence, if necessary.
The manure will be injected into 90 acres Davidsen has secured.
"Injection reduces runoff and odor," Veenhuizen said, describing similar buildings and practices in the Millersburg area.
He said the building will be screened by a woods on Davidsen's property and will be constructed north to south.
Veenhuizen said the "seasonal" water table is 1 to 3 feet below the surface and is much lower right after harvest and prior to planting, when injection would occur.
Steve Snyder of Syracuse differed with the engineer, saying a 12-year-old survey of Davidsen's property showed the water table at zero to 1 feet.
Snyder also said there is a drop of 10 feet to Dillon Creek off of Davidsen's land and significant ditches north of the property.
"In 1991, the Davidsens negotiated a 1.2 acre wetlands in the middle of their tract," Snyder said. "That wetlands is protected and regulated. How near will the proposed building be?"
He also reminded everyone that Millersburg soil was completely different than that in the area and relatively flat.
Neighbors said they expected an increase in odors and the fly population and a decrease in property values, and expressed concerns about contaminated ground water.
One man said he feeds his pond with water from Dillon Creek, a practice he would end if the CFO is established.
Area property owners have installed 10 grade stabilization structures along the creek to stem the flow of sediment into Lake Wawasee.
"We've received $600,000 in grant money for Dillon Creek alone," Harwood advised the town council. "Because of its topography, it is the No. 1 hot spot for the conservancy."
Snyder reminded the board members that the town's zoning ordinance doesn't offer any controls regarding CFOs in an agriculturally zoned area.
"You can never turn down a request once IDEM approves the permit," he said.
Lawrence said he heard that a petition requesting the board write a letter against the CFO was in circulation.
"We do not have that petition," he said "There isn't a single town member here. If they bring in the petition, we will draft a letter asking them to deny the permit. I don't want it {the CFO)."
Then he turned to Davidsen.
"Kevin, you're a wonderful man. These people are your neighbors and they don't want it [the lot]. Please take your neighbors' feelings into consideration. You'll have to live with them and their anger the rest of your life."
Town council member Robert Warren asked Davidsen if the facility was worth the risk of ruining someone's pond or well.
"We have 520 people here who are served by a $1 million wastewater treatment plant. The water that goes into the creek is clean. The water that goes in from your fields will not be."
The third town council member is Dennis Brewer.
Davidsen's permit is under review at IDEM. It was submitted Oct. 23. The review should take 90 days. It is known as Lot 6312. [[In-content Ad]]