The federal Environmental Protection Agency has taken action against eight beef feedlot operations in northwest Iowa for violations of the Clean Water Act. E.P.A. Regional Administrator, Karl Brooks, says the action is a notice to change their ways.
Brooks says they are making sure that the feedlots that discharge water that contains pollutants know they need a permit, and need to follow that permit. He says the water in northwest Iowa needs protection, because a lot of it is “very good quality.”
Brooks says the have until the end of October of 2011 to get the permit and end unauthorized discharges. He says the permit is negotiated with the E.P.A. or D.N.R. that sets out ways the operator can manage the runoff so it does not pollute the waterways. “In a sense it’s like an operators manual,” Brooks says. Brook was asked what would happen if the feedlots don’t comply.
“I don’t even anticipate that happening, these are all responsible producers, they’re good stewards, in most of these cases they learned that they are required to have permits as a result of our inspection. Brooks says all but two of the producers discharged runoff into water ways that have been identified by the state as being impaired by pollutants from animal feedlots.
The producers are: Todd Bartman, doing business as Bartman Farms, of Rock Valley; Randy Kats, doing business as Randy Kats Feedlot, of Rock Valley; Tracy Onken, doing business as Tracy Onken Feedlot, of Carroll; SFI, Inc., of Nemaha, Iowa; Vernon Van Beek and Jason Dorhaut, doing business as Lone Tree Feedlot, of Inwood; Terry Van Wyhe, doing business as Van Wyhe Feedlot, of Ireton; Nathan Vohs, doing business as Nathan Vohs Feedlot, of Washta; Keith Zylstra, doing business as Zylstra Feedlot, of Ashton.