Experts Try To Calm Neighbours' Fear Of Factory Hog Farm

Technology, guidelines would prevent pollution of wells, meeting told ...

By Cathy McKee
CENTREVILLE/For The Whig-Standard

A PROPOSED INTENSIVE HOG FARM  won't pollute neighbouring wells if it operates by the book, a public meeting has heard.

"If (the farm) usues the technology and follows the guidelines, we will not have well contamination," said Steve Redmond, who prepared the nutrient management plan for the proposed farm.

About 150 people crowded into Stone Mills Township Hall on Monday to hear experts field questions about the farm, proposed for the village of Erinsville.

Mark Slack's application for a building permit has drawn opposition from residents of the area who fear contamination of ground water and lakes, the odour from 1,400 animals and a drop in the value of neighbouring property.

Colette Drisdale, who lives near the proposed farm site, expressed concern over the 27,000 litres of water the farm would require each day. She wondered in nearby well might be drained.

When Tom Gouth, a hyrdogeologist who studied the area, said 27,000 litres in the amount of water used daily by two households, the audience laughed. He said two test wells on the property showed adequate water flow to meet the farm's demands.

Jim Sawyer, of the Lakeview Restaurant and Tavern in Erinsville, asked about possible contamination of Beaver Lake from rain washing manure from the fields on the farm, which are all of higher elevation that the lake.

Gouth said his study of the property looked only at ground water, not at surface water. he acknowledged that the ground water in the area flows towards Beaver Lake.

He said there would be monitoring wells around the manure storage tank at the barn and others at the edge of the property. Escaped contaminated water would be collected in these wells and analysed frequently.

When asked who would do the monitoring, Gouth said Slack would, though he isn't obligated to do so.

It's for my protection as well, so of course I'll be monitoring it." Slack said.

Gouth said the soil in the vicinity of the proposed barn is more than three metres deep. The soil has a fairly low hydraulic conductivity, he said, meaning it will hold manure rather than allow it to wash away.

Several people in the audience said that on their properties, near the Slack property, bedrock is close to the surface. Gouth said he looked only at soil in the vicinity of the barn and silo, not in the areas where manure will be spread. He said he didn't study the springs that feed Beaver Lake or any ponds on the Slack property.

Tamworth realtor Robert Storring asked Slack to sign a guarantee that his farm wouldn't pollute the environment or any wells and wouldn't cause property values to fall. Salck refused.

Redmond said stories of contamination by farm waste are from older operations with poor nutrient management. Current provincial legislation has proved inadequate to deal with intensive or factory farms, he said, adding that Slack "is surrounded by people who will put him under a lot of scrutiny."

Township planner, John Uliana said the province doesn't require a nutrient management plan, but township bylaws do require a plan to manage the manure produced by an intensive farm.

The Slacks own 115 hectares in Erinsville, and manure would be spread on 50 hectares, Redmond said. The plan he created for Slack includes buffer zones around the village and watercourses.

Resident Jill Smith expressed concern over plans to truck manure to other municipalities. What would happen, she wondered, if those municipalities didn't allow this?

Slack said the manure is in demand and he foreseesno problem finding places to spread it. "There's basically a lineup at my door," he said. "Manure is worth $70 an acre as fertilizer."

Uliana said Slack would go through a formal review every three years and any landowner who was spreading manure from Slack's farm would also be checked for compliance with the nutrient management plan.

Gouth said the manure holding tank at the barn would be 40 metresw in diameter and five metres deep, with a concrete floor 15 to 20 centimetres deep. Its capacity would exceed nine million litres.

When an audience member pointed out that concrete often cracks, Gouth said the tank would be emptied and inspected twice a year.

The mother of a child attending St. Patrick's School in ERinsville voiced concern about air pollution and odour from the farm. Her child has asthma, which she fears would be aggravated by the ammonia and other pollutants, especially on hot, humid days.

Redmond said trees on the Slack property would prevent odours from reaching Erinsville. In addition, there would be chimneys on the barn to direct odours and pollutants.

Redmond said the worst odour would oddur between 7 and 10 p.m., when the wind dies. He asked about the prevailing winds and was told they often go across the barn toward the village.

Slack interjected: "I would not come bulldozing in there and do whatever the heck I wanted. My nose still works too. We want minimum disturbance."

Erinsville resident Richard Tosswill accused Slack of seeking social subsidy, in the form of "air, water (and) societal issues and deteriorated life."

Tamworth resident Faun Bank asked Slack what his farm would do for the community.

"I'm doing what the chicken industry did 20 years ago," Slack said. "It will sustain my family and the tax base."

Slakc said he would live on the farm and his three children attend St. Patrick's School.