Brown County Residents Shocked to Learn of Factory Waste
Morrison-Wayside
March 27, 2007
WBAY NEWS
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=6288054
People in southern Brown County say there's growing concern over the possibility there is more than just manure runoff contaminating their wells.
People in the Town of Morrison have battled well water contamination for nearly three years.
At a Brown County Land Conservation meeting Monday night, the department's director said he recently learned that at least 24 companies have been dumping possibly millions of gallons of industrial and food processing waste throughout the county, including the Morrison-Wayside area.
"We have septic waste, we have industrial waste, we have food processing waste, all those things are put on the land and when you combine it with agriculture there's a lot happening out there we've got to look at," Land Conservation director Bill Hafs said.
People in Morrison say they're shocked by this latest revelation, and they're tired of worrying about their water. They want something done about it.
Norma Wagner is one of the many Wayside residents who paid to have a new, deeper well dug last year. Now she's learning cow manure might not be the only possible source of contamination.
"I was just thinking of everything that could really be out there," she said.
Wagner's worried she can't escape it. "You couldn't sell your house."
Selling a house is the last thing Barry Melotte is thinking about. His family just moved in next door six months ago. His home came with a new well but they're still not drinking the water, especially now that he's learned the Department of Natural Resources is permitting companies to dump their waste in nearby animal waste storage facilities -- waste that eventually gets spread on fields.
Holding facilities are scattered throughout the county. There are 15 in and around Morrison.
"Our main concern is that we want to know what the volume is, what is the stuff composed of, what's in the stuff, what is the volume they're putting on," Hafs said.
"Not just a homeowner but as a father, I have two small children, and I think that's a concern," Melotte said.
Wayside residents say they can't believe the State didn't inform the county this is happening. They're losing faith they will ever feel safe to drink their water again.
"Groundwater is a resource that we all use to live, so it's something we definitely need to take a look at," Melotte said.
"But it ain't going to. It's going to get worse if they keep dumping everything," Wagner said.
Brown County says it's going to work with residents and businesses to find the source of the contamination and figure out ways to better control waste.
Farmers say they're tried of getting all the blame for the bad drinking water.
"You better believe it. They took too much blame already," Norman Buchholz said. "You see a lot of places with big trucks going by, are they hauling manure or what are they hauling."
The county says it must work with both businesses and farmers to find new solutions. Some of those solutions include waste water treatment, composting facilities, and converting waste into energy.
But Hafs said, "I think there's a lot of people who are going to have to think about drinking bottled water for a long time."
