Dairy gets go-ahead

Lee Enterprises

DAVID CITY - Anyone driving down Nebraska Spur 12E the last month or so has seen the emergence of Butler County Dairy LLC structures just south of County Road 27.

Now they'll see a lot more.

So far the structures include silage bins, concrete roads and a lagoon.

The county received notice July 10 that the dairy had received its “Phased Construction and Operating Permit” from the Department of Environmental Quality. The permit clears the way for construction of livestock waste control facilities at the new dairy site.

The 6,000-cow dairy, proposed by the owners of Double Dutch Dairy southeast of Shelby, was granted all but one of its local easements to carry livestock waste under the road to the north and into a system of center pivots. Dairy developer Todd Tuls has said that the dairy will use state highway right-of-way if necessary to get its waste pipeline into the pivot system.

According to the permit, the dairy still has some work to do on its paperwork. The dairy must submit a new application for a “National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System” individual permit by Sept. 1 with all of the necessary revisions. Regarding wetland mitigation, the permit said that the dairy is in compliance with some adjustments pointed out by DEQ.

The permit also spells out that groundwater monitoring is required, but the dairy may ask to have that requirement reconsidered.

The phased construction spells out how many cows can be in place as the dairy works up to full capacity. The first two phases allow for 500 cows each, followed by four phases of 1,000 cows.

The facility will include three anaerobic lagoon cells, five “freestall” barns and one special needs barn.

It also includes ponds for clean-water diversion and construction and seeding of wetlands to replace those disturbed by the construction.

The permit also spells out specifics regarding time limits for construction under the permit, training in land application of livestock waste, and onsite monitoring wells to be in place by Oct. 1.

The County Board also heard that a construction and operating permit was issued to Jan Fricke for a nearly 4,400-head swine facility near the corner of County Roads 27 and M.

Supervisor Kevin Slama noted that Fricke's facility is designed with enclosed waste pits and biofilters on the fans that carry the fumes away from the hogs.

He said the facility was also referred to the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District because it is within a few miles of the proposed Kezan Creek Dam, which is still under consideration for funding.