Saratoga approves monitoring well network around CAFO

SARATOGA – The Saratoga Town Board unanimously approved Wednesday night the installation of a $60,000 well network to carry out groundwater monitoring activities around a proposed large-scale dairy.

The purpose of the well network will be to record the groundwater's present state, enabling the town to detect whether the proposed Wysocki Golden Sands Dairy — a concentrated animal feeding operation — is hydraulically or chemically affecting the local groundwater flow system, according to a proposal and cost estimate presented to the town.

"We got to get a baseline for what's in the water as it is right now, before the farm comes in," said Terry Rickaby, chairman of the Saratoga Town Board. "That's the baseline we need — that's the one that's going to protect us."

Now that the Town Board has approved the well network, Rickaby said it wants to install the wells "as soon as possible" — hopefully by the end of October.

To determine whether the CAFO affects the town's water quality, periodic water level measurements and groundwater sampling activities would have to be conducted and submitted for analysis to a lab certified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, according to the contract.

The wells would be tested for the presence of phosphorus, pesticides, herbicides, coliforms, total dissolved solids, total organic nitrogen, ammonia, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate nitrogen and chloride.

If it turns out that the CAFO is having negative effects on the quality of the water being tested by the wells, the dairy farm could be sued by town residents for liability, Rickaby said.

"You have the right to good water," Rickaby said.

Rickaby added that there are laws that protect residents' water supply, but noted that he couldn't comment on the specific course of action the town would pursue, for legal reasons.

Eight of the 10 wells would be 20 to 50 feet deep, with two wells measuring 50 to 70 feet deep, according to the proposal. Besides the estimated installation cost of $60,000, the town would expect to spend about $8,000 to $10,000 after the first year on sampling costs.

The Wysocki Family of Cos.' initial dairy proposal includes 4,000 milking and dry cows, 300 heifers and 1,000 calves, for a total of 5,300 animals. Plans also call for about 6,400 acres of crops and 49 high-capacity wells.

The project, which was announced in 2012, has been a contentious issue in Saratoga and some surrounding communities, with many concerned about the impact the CAFO would have on the region's water, property values and local businesses and attractions.

The DNR is in the process of creating an environmental impact statement for the proposed dairy.

Melanie Lawder can be reached at mlawder@cwnews.net or 715-423-7200. Find her on Twitter as @mel_lawder.