(Milford)– More than two hundred people attended a public hearing Tuesday evening on a four thousand-head hog confinement a Fairmont, Minnesota company wants to build southwest of Milford.
Those in favor say the company that’s already been awarded a permit for the project, Dutch Creek Farms, has a good environmental track record in their home state of Minnesota. They say the company has done everything according to law and shouldn’t be penalized in anyway. They also say many of the environmental and health concerns being expressed by opponents are unfounded.
Opponents countered by saying they have substantive reason to believe there would be environmental threats, especially to the Little Sioux River and underground aquifers. They also again sounded off on health concerns.
The supervisors took the comments under advisement. Anyone who would like to submit comments in writing will have until 4:30 p.m. November 8th to turn them into the county Auditor’s Office. Following that, the supervisors will decide what to include in their formal response to the D-N-R regarding the permit application.
Although a permit has already been granted, the D-N-R has re-started the public comment part of the process as the result of a public outcry. The agency will also conduct another inspection of the site. A representative of the D-N-R’s regional environmental office will be at the site tomorrow, along with the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors and county Zoning Administrator and Sanitarian David Kolhaase.
