Kinnard Farms disputes pollution accusations

• Three environmental groups accuse Kinnard Farms of overspreading manure and polluting well water.
• The farm is located in the town of Lincoln%2C where half of tested wells are contaminated.
• Kinnard Farms has a permit to grow from 4%2C000 to 6%2C000 cows%2C producing 70 million gallons of manure.

The owners of a large Kewaunee County farm are disputing accusations that they're polluting drinking wells, and they vowed to "work diligently to set the record straight."

Kinnard Farms Inc. released a statement late Wednesday saying it follows stringent regulations and is committed to keeping water clean.

Three environmental groups have accused the farm of causing or contributing to pollution by spreading millions of gallons of liquid manure on local fields. The groups called on the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the 4,000-cow dairy farm, take enforcement action and block the farm from expanding.

"The allegations are surprising to us, as the Kinnard Family has a long-term commitment to the care of the environment and our community," the farm's owners said.

"We are reviewing the documents and will respond accordingly," they said.

Kinnard Farms in the town of Lincoln has more than 4,000 dairy cows that generate almost 35 million gallons of manure every year, according to the farm's 2013 annual report. The manure is spread on 5,000 acres of nearby farmland.

The farm has a state permit that will allow it to expand to more than 6,000 cows by late 2017. At that size, the farm would create about 70 million gallons of manure a year, according to the permit fact sheet.

"In light of the problems we're having there with safe drinking water, to add millions more gallons of animal waste in light of the current problems just doesn't seem justified," said Dean Hoegger, president of the Clean Water Action Council.

The Council is one of three groups requesting action from the EPA. The others are Kewaunee Citizens Advocating Responsible Environmental Stewardship and the Washington D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project.

Kinnard Farms said dairy is one of the most regulated and inspected industries in agriculture.

"The Kinnard Family remains committed to following stringent regulations, and strives to incorporate the newest technologies available to protect the health of our families, our community and our cows, and to maintain the quality of our milk and the water we drink. We follow a science-based nutrient management plan that ensures our nutrients are responsibly recycled back into crops that are grown to feed our cows," the owners said.

Critics argue there is evidence the farm's manure production is connected to pollution.

As many as 50 percent of private wells in the town of Lincoln and 44 percent of wells in neighboring Red River are contaminated, according to research compiled by the environmental groups.

Northeastern Wisconsin is particularly vulnerable to contamination because of porous bedrock that allows pollutants to easily seep into groundwater.

A 2014 pilot project found seven of 10 wells tested in Kewaunee County contained bacterial contamination, and three were contaminated by cow manure. The study was done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Geological Survey Wisconsin Water Science Center and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

"We hope the EPA will act quickly because we believe it is a public health threat, and people can't wait forever," said Tarah Heinzen, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project.

The three groups targeting Kinnard Farms are among six that petitioned the EPA in October to exercise emergency powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act to intervene in Kewaunee County.

The EPA has not responded to the petition.

--arodewal@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @AdamGRodewald and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AdamGRodewald