7/22/2008 4:03:00 PM
Megadairy hearings
Injunction court dates continued
| |
|
| Digester hearing | A public hearing for the proposed methane digester at Tradition Dairies will be Tuesday, July 29 at Stagecoach Event Center in Apple River, beginning at 6 p.m.
At the Tuesday, July 8 county board meeting, the board voted with two dissenting votes to request the Illinois Department of Agriculture to hold a public informational meeting regarding a proposed methane digester set at Tradition Dairy South, one of the two elements of the proposed megadairy.
Anaerobic digesters are used to generate electricity from livestock waste.
|
|
Jay Dickerson
Editor
JO DAVIESS COUNTY-One witness was heard during the Friday, July 18 hearing about the proposed megadairy, before the courthouse closed, leaving officials to set three additional dates to continue the hearing.
More than 100 people attended the court hearing for an injunction stopping construction at Tradition South, called a megadairy by supporters and opposition alike, and filed by members of the grassroots organization Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES). HOMES, which maintains stopthemegadairy.org, is opposed to Tradition North and Tradition South, a dairy operation outside of Nora.
California-based dairy owner A.J. Bos applied with the Illinois Department of Agriculture last year, and successfully fulfilled the requirements established by the department to begin the construction. The project was also the topic of a number of public hearings earlier this year.
According to information Bos provided to Jo Daviess County late last year, the operation will consist of two dairies, with about 3,600 milking cows on each site, plus dry cows and replacement heifers.
Bos estimates tax revenues to the county at about $170,000 per year, with about $108,000 going to the Warren School District. The dairies would employ about 80 people, with an annual payroll of more than $2.5 million.
During the hearing last week, HOMES attorney David Albee presented one witness, Sam Panno, a geologist and geochemist with the Illinois State Geological Survey.
Panno presented a slide show detailing geological features in Illinois. The show itself was eventually entered as an exhibit for the plaintiffs, after several objections throughout its presentation by attorney Tom Nack, Galena, who defended the Tradition project. Panno said that his survey of land in Illinois, and Jo Daviess County in particular, showed that there are karst features in the county. In some parts there "are fractures. . .you could stick your fist in these," said Panno.
"In summary, we do see karst features all over the Jo Daviess County area," said Panno at the end of the slide show presentation. "I think the potential is very high for groundwater contamination."
Nack frequently objected, and said to Judge Kevin Ward that he had a running objection to the testimony.
Near the end of his testimony, Panno said that if there's a spill at the facility, it could get into the ground water. "The residents, I think, should be concerned if there's a spill or leakage at this facility," Panno testified.
Nack did not have a chance to cross-examine Panno, as the courthouse closed at 4 p.m. Albee said he had seven other witnesses he could call to the stand, and estimated the hearing might go another half day.
Nack instead suggested the hearing could go a full day.
Ward worked with Albee and Nack to set additional dates for the hearing, including Tuesday, July 29 at 1 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m.; and Friday, Aug. 16 at 9 a.m.
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
