Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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California's Solano and Yolo County Supervisors Consider Regulation of Confined Animal Facilities Steven Day | |
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Sierra Club Redwood and Mother Lode Chapters are joined in a campaign to keep cows happy in Solano and Yolo Counties (San Francisco Bay Area northeast) and keep them grazing on family farms westward to Sonoma / Marin and up the north coast. When industry crowds farm animals into a Confined Animal Facility (CAF), the animals are not happy; farm becomes factory; neighbors no longer have Home Sweet (smelling) Home; property value and human health suffers. The federal EPA "large" category of dairy CAFs is 700 to 1000s of cows - formulated upon on how much biomass goes in at the front of the factory and how much comes out the rear end. The first CAF dairy was allowed into Solano County in 2002 - lacking environmental review and public involvement in the Planning Commission's finding of no significant impact. This is the 6,000-cow Heritage Dairy 7 miles SE of Dixon. It was deemed an "acceptable ag. use" under no specific regulations. A 6000-cow dairy can produce 262 million pounds of manure per year. It is typically flushed with water into huge settling ponds and holding lagoons, so the water goes around for repeated flushing of the confinement quarters. Waste accumulates and has to be expelled from the CAF system one way or another. This waste contains disease organisms, growth hormones, and antibiotics that can enter surface and ground water, drinking water, and fish habitat. Extended exposure to antibiotics causes resistance to beneficial use in humans. The hormones harm a developing fetus and children in their growth. This waste produces ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that pollutes our air, increasing asthma and other harmful effects that worsen human health. After the Heritage "large" CAF dairy became known, mostly by its stink, activists and all six of the City Councils in Solano consistently asked Planning Commissioners and Supervisors for a moratorium on CAFs, until strong standards for regulating them can be adopted. An ad hoc Citizens Action Group Against Mega Dairies (CAGAMD), including local Sierra Club members, diligently watch-dogged the situation. As a result of public outcry for two years, Solano and Yolo County officials are learning there is a public need for strong standards to regulate these huge, polluting facilities. More CAF dairies are lining up to enter the northeast Bay Area - driven out from other parts of the state by urbanization and better-late-than-never county regulations. In November 2003, Heritage spilled 1.3 million gallons of liquefied manure and urine that ran through waterways across neighbors' properties to the Sacramento River. In violation of state laws, there were no back-up systems, no alarms, no secondary holding structures, and no means to prevent lagoon overflow or leakage into surface and ground waters. CAGAMD brought in more muscle from Sierra Club. Sierra Club sent Heritage Dairy a notice of intent to file a citizens suit for violations of the Federal Clean Water Act. But the Club's case became moot when the Regional Water Quality Control Board imposed a $90,000 civil liabilities penalty upon Heritage Dairy just days before the Club intended to file on March 1, 2004. The Club may need to take additional action to ensure that the penalty is not forgiven or forgotten, since state regulatory agencies rarely act like bill collectors. Public awareness grew and the possibility of a moratorium in Solano, at least on "large" CAFs, showed more promise. County staff prepared a draft resolution at the Planning Commission's request. County staff met with Club volunteers and CAF-expert Attorney Brent Newell at the Supervisors' request, to discuss language for a new Environmental Health ordinance that would tie in with amendments to upgrade the existing Zoning ordinance. Yolo County adopted an ordinance in 2002, requiring environmental review of CAFs. A pre-existing "large" CAF dairy wanted to forego, in 2003, the review requirement for its expansion to 2400 cows. Club members and Attorney Newell submitted public comment to Yolo Commissioners and Supervisors. |
Yolo Supervisors eventually honored the appeal, based on the dairy's claim of a vested right. A second "future" barn had been penciled in on a site plan drawing for the building permit on the first barn. The Club will challenge the Yolo County decision if neighbor landowners demonstrate a strong commitment to match litigation costs. Contact Pam Nieberg (530) 756-6856 The campaign is collaborating with the Club's National CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) committee and GRACE (Global Resource Action Center).
What You Can Do:
Attend Solano Supervisors' meeting(s) July 27th, 2 pm. (Supervisors Chambers/Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Fairfield.) Let them know you want a moratorium on "large" CAFs now. Verify agendas at Solano County Supervisors:
John F. Silva
Duane Kromm
John Vasquez
Ruth Forney
c/o Clerk of the Board, 580 Texas Street,
Sample Letter:
Dear Supervisor _____________________,
Take precaution! Please adopt a moratorium on Confined Animal Facility dairies larger than 699 cows. The stink doesn't stop at the county line. These are factories - not family farms. A moratorium provides much-needed time for Solano County to engage experts and the public in thorough review of all the impacts. CAFs threaten public health, and drive responsible family farmers out of business. Liquefied feces from these facilities contain pathogens, antibiotics, and hormones that pollute our drinking water and produce ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that pollute our air.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
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