In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, I would like to clarify some of the misleading
information in your July 3rd article "Manure lagoon being emptied."
Upon closure in July 2011, this dairy had an Ohio EPA federal NPDES Permit and an Ohio Department of
Agriculture "state" permit. The federal permit takes precedence but, for whatever reason, Ohio
EPA wasn’t consulted for this article. In fact, the Ohio EPA is currently investigating the present
owner/operator for violating federal regulations. Wouldn’t it be important to know whether Ohio EPA
would allow this permit to be transferred again before this investigation is finished?
Contrary to statements by ODA staff, their permit was still in effect upon the abandonment of this dairy.
Therefore, ODA should have enforced State closure regulations and all the manure should have been
removed from the storage pond in 2011. Sadly, ODA did nothing and instead, allowed this pond to sit full
while they just waited for their permit to expire in 2012.
Your article claimed the bank "has been regularly hauling manure from the lagoon to Napoleon where
it is being transferred to a bio-digester." Actually this storage pond has been full for three
years and the bank had only been "regularly" hauling manure for three weeks! One million
gallons gone – but nine million gallons to go.
It’s very important to note that a digester doesn’t remove all the nitrogen and phosphorus. Those
nutrients flow through the digester and must still be disposed of somewhere – since 10 million gallons
of contaminated waste doesn’t just magically disappear.
Your article would lead readers to believe that this unlawful situation would be resolved once they haul
all this waste somewhere else – but please consider that the Maumee River flows through Napoleon.
According to recent scientific studies – "By virtue of its location, its high discharges, and its
high loads and concentrations of total and dissolved phosphorus, we believe that the Maumee River
watershed is the primary driver of algal blooms in the Western Basin of Lake Erie."
Lake Erie’s Western Basin is already in crisis due to toxic algal blooms fueled by excess nutrients.
While millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on more studies and band-aids, our legislators are
giving factory farms a free pass. I urge your readers to contact their elected representatives and
demand meaningful new factory farm regulations.
Vickie Askins
Cygnet