1. Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter
http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org
shahla.werner@sierraclub.org
222 South Hamilton Street, #11,
Madison, WI (608) 256-0565

2. • Wisconsin has over 15,000 lakes, 12,600 rivers and streams, and
countless creeks.
• We have 103 are Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) and 1,544
Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs)
• Wisconsin is bordered by Lake Superior and Lake Michigan
• Our western border is formed by the Mississippi River
Peninsula State Park
John Muir’s Fountain(Ennis) Lake

3. 15,000 members & supporters in WI
6 Local Groups: Chippewa Valley, Coulee
Region, Four Lakes, Fox Valley, Great
Waters, Southeast Gateway
3 Special Activity Sections: River Touring
Section, Inner City Outings and Sierra
Student Coalition
Executive Committee: 15 elected
volunteers (9 at-large, 6 group delegates)
3 Chapter Staff:
Chapter Director - Shahla Werner
Chapter Coordinator - Jacinda Tessmann,
Conservation Programs Coordinator - Elizabeth Ward
Priorities: Reducing Climate Change through Clean
Energy and Clean Transportation; Protecting Water
Resources; Preventing Destructive Mining Impacts;
Protecting Native Forests & Wildlife

4. • We thwarted Perrier’s plans to build a water-bottling plant in Adams
County – 2001
• We pushed for clean-up of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Fox
River
• We supported Federal Wild & Scenic River designation for the St.
Croix & Namekagon Rivers
• We helped secure Wild River status for the Pine, Pike, Popple,
Brunsweiler, and Totogatic Rivers, established by the WI state
legislature in 1965 to preserve select rivers in a free-flowing condition
and to protect them from development.
• We helped pass the historic Great Lakes Compact - 2008
• We helped pass a ban on Phosphorus lawn fertilizer - 2009
• We supported enactment of the strongest numerical
phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient limits in the nation - 2010

5. Protecting Water Supply: Opposing efforts to deregulate
high capacity wells; supporting new Groundwater
Management Areas, spring protection, statewide water
conservation
Protecting Water Quality: Opposing uninspected, minimally
enforced, highly subsidized factory farms or Confined Animal
Feeding Operations (CAFOs) whose runoff and manure spills
kill fish, contaminate drinking water and cause algal growth
and dead zones in water bodies; Supporting increased water
program staffing, increased inspections and enforcement;
increased local control over livestock siting; stronger waste
spreading rules; sustainable farms

6. 70% of Wisconsinites and 97% of inland communities depend on
groundwater for drinking water
Wisconsin uses about 760 million gallons of groundwater per day.
Rainfall over Wisconsin averages 32 inches annually, but only 6-10 inches
of it soaks in to become groundwater.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey

7. Photo by Tom Kujawski/For the State Journal
Robert’s Irrigation of Plover drilling a high
capacity well in Portage Co.

8. There are over 3,000 high
capacity wells permitted in the
Central Sands Area, where
surface water drawdowns are
already occurring, according to
the Friends of Central Sands.
The proposed Richfield Dairy
in Adams County would house
4,300 cows and pump 72.5
million gallons of groundwater
each year (138 gallons / min)

9. The 2011 Lake Beulah vs. DNR State Supreme Court decision
stated that the DNR has the authority – and the responsibility – to
consider the environmental impacts of significant groundwater
removal.
09/03/14, Judge Boldt ruled that DNR could approve the WPDES
permit for the proposed 4,200-cow Richfield Dairy in Adams County, but
also ruled that DNR “took an unreasonably limited view of its authority” in
not considering cumulative impacts of high capacity wells and he reduced
the permit by 28% to allow a maximum withdrawl of 52.5 million gallons per
year.
Should Judge Boldt’s ruling stand, 2013 budget Motion 375, which prohibits

10. American Rivers rated Central Wisconsin’s Little
Plover River as the 4th Most Endangered River in the
US in 2013
Images: Friends of the Little Plover River
1997
2005

11. • Protecting DNR authority to consider cumulative impacts
of permitting new high-capacity wells
• Promoting rain barrels and water-saving appliances
• Supporting strong oversight for the Waukesha’s proposed
diversion under the Great Lakes Compact
• Supporting wetlands protections

12. • Continue to pass local groundwater resolutions (Adams,
Waushara, Wood, and Portage have passed them; Dane is
considering)
• Fight attempts to deregulate High Capacity Wells at State
Capitol (and through in-district meetings)
• Call legislators on World Wetlands Day, Feb. 2, 2015 – talk
about value of local resources in district for flood prevention,
protecting property values, aquatic habitat, water quality
Alert! On Nov. 19, 2014 Gov.
Walker replaced UW Stevens Point
professor George Kraft with potato
grower Stephen Diercks on the
Groundwater Coordinating Council.
Diercks has donated $4,450 to Gov.
Walker’s campaigns since 2009.

13. Wisconsin has over 260 Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s)
or factory farms, most of which are dairies. A CAFO is defined as an
operation with at least 1,000 confined Animal Units, or at least 700 dairy
cows, 55,000 turkeys, or 20,000 laying hens.
Wisconsin’s Livestock Siting Law, enacted in 2004, along with DATCP’s
“Siting Rule,” issued by (DATCP) in 2006, restricts ability of local
governments to direct the location of new CAFOs through zoning or
protective ordinances. Sierra Club urged implementation of the 2010
Livestock Siting Rule recommendations during it’s 2014 review.

14. The number of CAFOs
skyrocketed after the
Livestock Siting Law /
Rule was enacted in
2006

15. Jeff Glaze – State Journal
Monona’s Hudson Beach closed 2012
UW-Madison Photo Library
Lake Mendota algae
Phosphorus from farm runoff, leaves & fertilizer leads to toxic blue-
green algal blooms in Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers and streams;
threatening public health and closing beaches
http://wisconsinwatch.org/2014/04/yahara-beach-closures-highlight-algae-bacteria-threats/#illnessmap

16. Phosphorus pollution
(550,000 lbs enter the Bay
each year) is responsible for
a growing dead zone that
starts north of Green Bay
and extends for 30 miles.
The number of hypoxic days
has increased from 4 in
1990 to 43 days in 2011.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/scientists-dead-zone-showing-up-in-green-bay-b9977069z1-
219902171.html

17. Lake Erie’s water quality has been declining, with toxic algal dead zones
that can span 2,000 square miles due to problems with agricultural runoff,
yet MI and OH have not listed it as “impaired,” requiring Phosphorus cuts.
Aug. 2014: Toledo officials warned 400,000 citizens not to drink the water
for 2 days due to high levels of blue-green algae, or microcystin, which
can cause "abnormal liver function, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, numbness
or dizziness."

18. Maumee Bay State Park – August 2014
Toledo Mayor Michael Collins warned the Senate
Agriculture Committee on Dec. 3, 2014: “If we forget
what happened in Toledo, it is doomed to be repeated."

19. Apr 15, 2014, The DNR held a public hearing on April 15, 2014 to
consider whether to issue Adam’s County’s Burr Oak Heifers an ACL for
nitrates of 28 mg/L for their 3,300 cattle lot. On Dec. 2, 2014 the WDNR
issued a permit for Burr Oak Heifers, but they denied the ACL, partially
because of numerous public comments received (Sierra Club sent an
Action Alert, wrote articles, attended hearing)
Sep. 23, 2014, The Kewaunee County Board unanimously passed an
ordinance (20-0) to prohibit the unconfined stockpiling and / or land
application of wastes on land areas within Kewaunee County having soil
depths to fractured carbonate bedrock of 20 feet or less between January
1st and April 15th. (81 comments; Laura Menefee testified)
Oct. 22, 2014, MEA, MEDC, Clean Wisconsin, and Kewaunee Cares
petition EPA for emergency action to address countywide water
contamination under Safe Drinking Water Act
Oct. 31, 2014, Judge Jeffrey Boldt blames "massive regulatory failure” on
Kewaunee Co. water contamination & orders DNR to modify discharge
permit for Kinnard Farms, requiring at least 6 monitoring wells and a cap
on the dairy’s size

20. Karst is an area of irregular
limestone characterized by
fissures, sinkholes,
underground streams, and
caverns. Karst areas are
especially vulnerable to
pollution, as waste can
travel long distances.
Karst areas should be
mapped statewide, and
afforded stronger waste
spreading protections.
Wisconsin should also
require Nutrient
Management Plans for
spreading industrial and
municipal (non-manure)

22. “The Day Enforcement & Science Died”
Aug. 19, 2013, DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp:
“The Division of Enforcement and Science will be
eliminated as a Division and its component parts –
Law Enforcement and Science Services – will
report to the Secretary’s Office.”
Under the reorganization, “the Chief Warden will
report directly to the Deputy Secretary” and
“effective immediately, the Bureau of Science
Services will become a part of the Office of
Business Support and Sustainability and report
directly to the Office’s Director.”
http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/se
arch?q=dnr+enforcement+and+science

23. Town of Ripon residents near the 8,000 cow Rosendale CAFO can participate
in a well water sampling program sponsored by Fond du Lac County UW-
Extension and the Town of Ripon.
6.5% private wells in WI exceed safety standards for nitrates. In past 20
years, 17% of wells sampled near Ripon have tested positive for bacteria
http://www.riponpress.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&ArticleI
D=2422
Rosendale’s WPDES permit was renewed in 2013. The WDNR reduced the
land-spreading setback from private wells from 200 to 100 feet.

24. 2002: Maple Ridge Dairy (Central WI) spread 250,000 gallons liquid manure
onto 32 acres frozen field in February near their Stratford farm in Marathon
county. Run-off traveled onto neighbors’ land and a tributary feeding the Big
Eau Pleine River. http://www.wsn.org/factoryfarm/stratford_manure_spill.html
March 2004: Stahl Brothers Farm (Northeastern WI) spread tens of
thousands of gallons of animal waste on a field across the from the Tremls’
home, causing every family member, including their 7 month-old, to become
seriously ill from contaminated water. In April 2009 the same farm had a
manure pit leak that sent 100,000 gallons of manure into a waterway

25. November 2013: A pipe ruptured at the Dane County Digester, spilling
300,000 gallons of manure into Six Mile Creek. Aggressive clean-up efforts
were employed, and a berm and automatic shutoff valve was constructed.
On January 20 2014, a second spill resulting from a rupture in an above
ground pipe occurred at Clear Horizons, discharging 20,000 thousands of
gallons of manure.
March 2014 brought a third spill at Clear Horizons, followed by an explosion
and fire that occurred on August 6. The DNR referred the facility to the Dept. of
Justice in Nov. 2014 for spills and Phosphorus violations. The DNR found 90
air pollution violations at Clear Horizons, including hazardous levels of sulfur

26. Twelve Sierra Club members toured the
Holsum Dairy’s Elm Road manure digester
on June 7, 2014 in Hilbert, Wisconsin.
Holsum’s Elm Road dairy CAFO has 3,700 cows.
Manure digesters are designed to produce energy, not remove
Phosphorus or kill pathogens. Although the digester is designed to
produce 1.5 MW of electricity, two of the digester’s chambers were
running at lower temperatures due to a water pipe leak.
By capturing the energy and fibrous material from cow “waste”, Holsum’s
effluent has 82% less dry matter, 32% less nitrogen, 75% less
phosphorous pentoxide (44% phosphorus), and 49% less potassium
oxide (83% potassium) when compared to undigested manure.
As a DNR Green Tier business they also incorporated water saving
technologies and a communal calf barn that potentially improves
socialization over traditional calf huts

27. May 26, 2014, the 3,000 cow Lake Breeze Dairy of Malone was spreading
manure from a hose at night when it ruptured, spilling at least 50,000
gallons of waste into Pipe Creek, killing fish and sending waste into Lake
Winnebago
Sep. 8, 2014, A waste spreader spilled manure from Haberli Farms into a
sinkhole near Jacksonport, WI, contaminating 14 wells with E. coli and
sickening 16 people, including a 3 month old baby
Sep. 16, 2014, 640,000 gallons of liquid manure spilled from Kurt
DeGrave’s 250 cow dairy in Brussels in southern Door County, sending
manure across fields into Sugar Creek. A preventative check valve was
never installed, as the county deemed unnecessary.

28. • We need to restore some local authority to take into
account localized concerns, such as high-quality
waterways, unique topography, in siting CAFOs
“Uniform state standards” make little sense because our land and
natural resources are not uniform!
• We need to return zoning power to local communities so
that at least some areas can be maintained “CAFO-free.”
• Waste spreading should be restricted in karst areas
• Digesters should be required to install berms and
automatic shutoff valves to mitigate problems if pipes
rupture.

29. • Builds community awareness of pollution problems
• Helps identify and restore problem sites
• Become advocates for their watersheds
• Increases the amount of needed water quality information
available on our waters
Photo: MI Sierra Club

30. • Restoring Local Control for WI Livestock Siting
• Stronger Waste Spreading Regulations, especially
for Karst areas, and statewide Karst Mapping
• Requiring Manure Digesters to Install Automatic
Shutoff Valves and Berms around pipes
• Pushing the EPA to Create Strong CAFO Rules
• Supporting a federal ban on sub-therapeutic use of
antibiotics in CAFOs

31. • Citizen Water Monitoring – Take Pictures
• Media Outreach: Press Releases, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr,
Website: sierraclub.org/wisconsin, Muir View, etc.
• Testifying at Public Hearings (Capitol, DNR, DATCP): Focus on proposed
999 AU hog farrowing operation proposed for Town of Eileen, Bayfield Co.
(Reicks View Farm, IA – moving to avoid PEDv, Porcine Epidemic
Diahrrea virus, risks Angel Acres organic pig farm); Purchased 560 acres
for $1.2 million in Oct. 2014.
• Tabling Include information on manure spills; algal blooms, the need for
better regulations and increased inspections
• Outing on lake impacted by algal blooms – with electeds?
• Praising Sustainable Businesses – creating alliances with TU;