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Wright County Approves Matrix for Hog Confinement

The Wright County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing for a construction permit application for a confinement feeding operation in Section 22 of Blane Township. The board was presented with a master matrix of the project. When the evaluation was completed, the project received enough points to pass and receive the permit.

The residents living nearby were not in favor of the permit being granted. Some felt that the smell alone would be too much to deal with. They talked about how the tree lines were not significantly cutting down the odor coming from the present confinement. Supervisor Dean Kluss explained that the tree lines served a purpose.

The thought is that the air is forced upward over the trees and the smell will not sink back down to ground once it passed the tree line.

Another point of contention for those who attended was whether the point system used to determine if the confinement was properly distanced from homes, was actually accurate. One resident who just moved to the area from Arizona felt like the point measuring system was grossly inaccurate.

Another challenge would be to the secondary roads leading to the expanded confinement. Residents along those roads complained about the current conditions and worried about the future.

There were also points made about the present value of the land and roads to the county and the state along with the amount of new construction locally.

In the end, despite the objections presented to the board, the supervisors were compelled by law to have to vote in favor of the matrix.

After coming to the Supervisors public hearing, the full room of concerned residents left empty handed, and many were disappointed at the outcome. The confinement owners said they would take their neighbors’ concerns under consideration.

 

 

 

 

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