farmsanctuary.org photo
The Board of Supervisors for Bayfield County will be meeting tonight, January 27th, at 6 pm at the Bayfield Courthouse in Washburn, WI. Currently, they are making decisions related to a pig factory (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation or CAFO) in the township of Eileen, within the Fish Creek watershed, very close to the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Click here for map of location.
This facility is expected to house, at the minimum 26,000 animals. The waste is expected to be distributed on farm fields, which drain into Fish Creek and the White River (connected to Lake Superior via the Bad River), and injected into the clay earth near the factory. Similar facilities downstate are blamed for nourishing algae plumes in Lake Michigan, which create dead zones that suffocate fish and other aquatic life.
Human health risks are highlighted in a document (link below) compiled by Mary Dougherty
The board meeting agenda includes an ordinance on regulating such a facility. At the last meeting, the board considered implementing a temporary moratorium on CAFOs in Bayfield County, but the measure did not have sufficient votes.
A group of concerned individuals is gathering between 4:30 and 5:00 to encourage the Board of Supervisors to think about how their actions will affect our communities now and into the future. We'll have a few signs, but feel free to bring your own. We'll have printed copies of the attached handout for everybody.
If you'd like to contact any member of the board before the meeting, go to http://www.bayfieldcounty.org/295/Board-of-Supervisors for contact information.
Click here to open a PDF document containing information about the proposed CAFO, and the associated Water Quality and Public Health Concerns, and links to online information resources.
