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Factory Farms Have Polluted Wisconsin Drinking Water!

Factory Farms Have Polluted Wisconsin Drinking Water!

 

Thousands of residents in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin are facing a drinking water crisis. Nestled on the shore of Lake Michigan, this county holds the largest number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs – also known as factory farms) in the state. According to Catherine Long of the World Socialist website, there are 15 farms in Kewaunee County, each containing at least 50,000 cows. There are 40,000 more cows housed in smaller farms, making factory farming the county’s second largest industry. These farms produce over one billion gallons of fecal waste yearly, which ends up in enormous manure lagoons. Contaminants from the waste, such as nitrates and disease-causing bacteria, leak into the area’s groundwater and reach toxic levels.

Many rural Wisconsin residents receive their water from private wells and don’t have access to municipal water treatment services. The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism estimates that 47% of private wells contain dangerous pollutants. According to WisconsinWatch.org, when one Kewaunee County resident’s well water turned yellow-brown, testing revealed a high level of toxins linked to cattle waste. He was forced to drill a new well, at his own expense.

Part of the problem is a lack of regulation and oversight.  Factory farms develop and monitor their own waste management systems, often with a blatant disregard for the consequences to the environment and local community. Water regulation authorities, such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, have little say in what these farms do with their waste.

Cutting animal products out of your diet decreases the demand for factory farms and helps communities suffering from factory farm pollution. Learn about transitioning to a plant based diet here.

Read more about how factory farming is affecting Wisconsin’s drinking water here and  here.

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