Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608 Mankato, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comments on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) prepared for Manthey Hog Barns' proposed swine-finishing project in Waseca County. Comments must be in writing and accepted by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2009. Harold Manthey proposes to expand by adding one wean-to-finish hog barn in Section 7 of Vivian Township in southwestern Waseca County, near Waldorf. The existing finishing barn (Manox Site 2), in Section 8 of Vivian Township, measures 51 by 528 feet and houses 3,300 wean-to-finish hogs. The proposed barn (Manox Site 3) would be 102 by 206 feet with 3,300 wean-to-finish hogs. Upon completion, there would be 6,600 swine total for both barns, which are total-confinement feedlots. The new facility would store manure in an 8-foot concrete pit under the barn. Manthey would pump out the manure each fall and transfer ownership to a second party, who would apply the manure according to state rules to farm fields in Faribault, Waseca and Blue Earth counties. The two facilities would generate a total of 1.98 million gallons of manure a year. Their pits are designed with a 14-month storage capacity. The existing and proposed swine facilities are surrounded by land zoned for agriculture, though nine residences are located within one mile of the proposed barn. Based on a computer modeling study, the MPCA expects the new facility to comply with state air-quality standards, with odors less than levels considered unpleasant. Two public water supply wells - one for the city of Waldorf and one for St. John's Church - are within two miles of the feedlot sites. Due to the soil types in the area, the MPCA expects no impact to the wells. Records show that a state-listed threatened plant species, Sullivant's Milkweed, grows near the proposed barn location and manure-application sites, although the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expects no negative effect to the plant from the proposed swine facility. The proposed expansion and manure application sites are located in the Le Sueur River watershed. The state lists both the Le Sueur River and a tributary, the Cobb River, as impaired waters. The manure-management plan includes best management practices to prevent and minimize any effects to water resources. The EAW provides basic information about how a proposed project could affect the environment and helps determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement, a more comprehensive environmental review, is needed. Interested parties may comment on the EAW during the public notice period from Nov. 30 to Dec. 30, 2009. Copies of the Manox 3-Manthey Hogs Barns EAW are available at MPCA's St. Paul office at 520 Lafayette Road N.; MPCA's Mankato office at 12 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 2165; and on the MPCA Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us Send questions and comments on the Manox 3 EAW to Nancy Drach, Environmental Review and Feedlot Section, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., Saint Paul MN 55155-4194. Drach can also be reached by phone at 651-757-2317, by fax at 651-297-2343, or by e-mail at nancy.drach@state.mn.us.