During their regular meeting Wednesday morning, the Dodge County Board of Supervisors discussed supplemental regulations for industrial wastewater, biosolids and sludge (liquid or cake form).
The supervisors heard from three Scribner residents, including city administrator Elmer Armstrong, during the meeting. Many residents complained last year of the intense odor and plethora of flies from a fertilizer storage that was housed south of the town.
“As a city, I would like to ask the board of supervisors if there are continued problems with the smell and everything else, to be open to a request from other cities and villages for additional jurisdictional areas to address this issue,” Armstrong said. “I believe that would be good for Fremont. I believe it would be good for every city and village if the smell and the long-term stockpiles are going to be there.”
Environmental Land Management has been leasing agricultural land southeast of Scribner to stockpile soil conditioner and fertilizer food byproducts for the last five years. It also hauls the material to any farmers who are in need.
Nate Hansen, Director for Environmental Land Management, said his group has no problems with the regulations.
“I do want to thank the planning commission and Jean Andrews (zoning administrator) for all of their hard work. They did a lot and I appreciate that. As a company, we are in 100 percent support of these regulations,” he said. “Basically we’re just excited to get back trying to recycle a beneficial product and give free fertilizer to farmers. However the county wants us to do that safely and effectively, I’m all for that.”
Supervisor Lon Strand said the regulations are a sign of progress.
“We’re putting some teeth in it (the amendment) by having some requirements for storage and things that got us in trouble before,” he said. “Is this perfect? Absolutely not. Is it a big step? It is a huge step because we’ve never addressed the storage before this way.”
Strand said it was a complex issue.
“We have to walk a fine line here because we have to remember Dodge County is agricultural and we have a lot of products put on to help farmers out and cattle feedlots and hog producers and now chicken people,” he said. “We really need to make sure we take care of that as well because agriculture is still the No. 1 thing in Dodge County. We have to take care of them as well so it is a tightwire sometimes. You have to satisfy everybody.
“I wouldn’t want to say that Dodge County failed in this stink problem. I don’t feel like we failed, but we didn’t have anything in place to take care of it.”
Chairman Bob Missel said he received a lot of public input on the situation, including those who want the Environmental Land Management product and have used it successfully in the past.
The supplemental regulation amendment passed unanimously.
“I think this is a start,” Missel said. “I would like to remind everyone that this is an amendment that could be done again. Anything could be changed so are we done? I don’t know, but it is a good step forward.”
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