Good news is fun: local groups stop factory farm

I'm totally counting really good news as "fun" for this Friday's blog posting.

River Network Partner Prairie Rivers Network, allies like the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club and local citizens organizations had a BIG victory this week. In a rare move, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency denied 401 water quality certification for 5,500 head large-scale dairy factory farm.

Not sure what 401 water quality certification is? Check out the 401 certification section of our website for the basics and a beginners' webinar on the topic.

The Illinois groups wrote a letter in 2010 making the case for why the state should not certify the project would comply with water quality standards. As Prairie Rivers Network describes in more layman's terms on their website:

Traditions Dairy, a proposed 5,500-head dairy, would be the largest in the state. Unfortunately, the dairy would be near (and on!) sensitive streams that are the headwaters of the Apple River – enjoyed by Jo Daviess County residents and visitors for fishing, canoeing, and other activities. The site is also underlain by karst – a rock formation that allows pollution from the ground surface to easily percolate below ground to contaminate drinking water supplies.

The state's statement outlining the reasons for denial of the 401 water quality certification were similar to the concerns laid out by the concerned groups:

The primary reasons for the decision to deny the application were:
+ Failure to demonstrate that the proposed activity would not cause violations of the applicable water quality standards
+ Inadequate rationale for the need to lower water quality of the receiving stream, which would occur due to the placement of the fill material
+ Inadequate explanation as to why impact to the South Fork of the Apple River cannot be avoided
+ Inadequate information on the characterization of the receiving stream that is to be filled
+ Failure to demonstrate that the proposed activity would not result in water pollution, based on the geology and hydrology of the site

See the Chicago Tribune's story on the denial for more background.