Rosendale Dairy EIS availability and hearing, WPDES permit and
hearing
News Release Published: December 23, 2008 by the Central Office

Contact(s): Todd Ambs, Water Division Administrator, (608)264-6278

MADISON – The Department of Natural Resources has produced an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed wastewater
discharge (WPDES) permit for the Rosendale Dairy facility in Fond du
Lac County. The public is invited to comment on the EIS and Draft
Permit in writing or at a public information hearing January 22 at 5
p.m. at the Royal Ridges in Ripon. Comments are due by Feb. 4, 2009.

Rosendale Dairy is proposing to construct a large dairy facility
capable of housing and milking up to 4000 dairy cows and 150 beef
cattle (combined 5,750 Animal Units or AUs). There is a possible Phase
II of similar size in the future. The facility will include: freestall
barns, a milking parlor, manure handling, storage equipment, feed
storage, leachate collection and stormwater basins.

The project will be located at N8997 County Highway M, Pickett, WI
54964, in Section 9, Town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac County.

For Phase I, Rosendale Dairy annually will produce approximately 46
million gallons of liquid waste, consisting primarily of liquid
manure, that will be stored on site in the waste storage facilities
and land applied every year. The operation has submitted a nutrient
management plan that would use 5,631 acres of cropland for land
application activities.

Environmental Impact Statement
Prior to completion of the EIS the department conducted an issue
identification process, released an environmental assessment on
September 16, 2008, and received public comments through October 14,
2008. On November 18, 2008, the department notified interested
agencies and parties of its determination to complete an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) process and provided a timeline for public
scoping comments to help identify the scope and the significant issues
to be analyzed in depth in the analysis.

The EIS is available on the Department Web site. Copies are available
for public review upon request to James Pardee at 608-266-0426 or by
e-mail at [email protected]. Copies of the EIS will also be
available at the following area libraries: Fond du Lac Public Library,
32 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac, WI 54935; Oshkosh Public Library, 106
Washington Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901; and Ripon Public Library, 120
Jefferson St., Ripon, WI 54971.

Any member of the public may submit written comments on the EIS by
hand-delivery or U.S. mail to James Pardee at WDNR SS/7, PO Box 7921,
101 S. Webster Street, Madison, WI 53707 or by e-mail to
[email protected]. Comments on the EIS shall be postmarked or
hand-delivered no later than Feb. 4, 2006.

If you would like to comment on the proposed permit action or would
like information on file for the WPDES permit action, including the
permit application, draft permit, and fact sheet, may be inspected and
copied at the DNR Oshkosh Service Center, Monday through Friday
(except holidays), between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Please call Liz
Spaeth-Werner at WDNR Oshkosh Service Center, 625 E. County Road Y,
Oshkosh, WI, 54901, (920) 303-5426 or by e-mail to
[email protected] for directions to the office
location, if necessary. Reasonable costs (usually 20 cents per page)
will be charged for copies of information in the file other than the
public notice and fact sheet. Permit information is also available for
downloading from the DNR Web site. Pursuant to the Americans with
Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation, including the provision of
informational material in an alternative format, will be made to
qualified individuals upon request.

Public Informational Hearing/Submitting Comments
DNR will hold a public informational hearing on January 22, 2009 at 5
p.m. at the Royal Ridges, 1 Westgate Drive (just off W. Fond du Lac
St. which is also known as Hwy 23/49), Ripon, WI 54971. An
informational open house will also be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at
the same location. The hearing on the EIS and WPDES permit will begin
at 5 p.m.

The purpose of the open house is to allow members of the public to ask
questions of department staff regarding the EIS and proposed WPDES
permit. The open house is informational only and verbal comments and
questions made at the open house will not be considered part of the
record. However, written comments on the EIS or proposed WPDES permit
may be submitted at the open house and will be considered part of the
record.

For the first part of the hearing, the department will accept comments
on the EIS. The second part of the hearing, the department will take
comments on the proposed WPDES permit. Verbal comments on the EIS and
WPDES permit must be made at the January 22 hearing to be considered
part of the record of the EIS or WPDES permit. Any written comments on
the EIS or WPDES permit must be submitted to the Department by
February 4, 2009 to be considered part of the record.

Any questions regarding the procedures of the informational hearing
for the EIS or proposed permit should be directed to Attorneys Marney
Hoefer at 608/266-7588 or Robin Nyffeler at 608/266-0024, Department
of Natural Resources, LS/8, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, Wisconsin 53707-
7921.