The Kewaunee County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of an ordinance regarding manure irrigation.
The "Agricultural Waste and Process Wastewater Irrigation Ordinance" passed 19-0 at the November 7 meeting.
The ordinance will allow low pressure-drip irrigation at a height of no more than 18" to apply nutrients during the growing season, the county said. The Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Department will administer, monitor and enforce the ordinance.
“I want to congratulate everyone who helped to make this ordinance a reality,” Kewaunee County Board Chairman Robert Weidner said in a press release. “This ordinance is a true example of what can be accomplished when people collaborate to address a community problem.”
The ordinance included input from the DNR, the Kewaunee County's Land and Water Conservation Department, the Public Health Committee, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and concerned farmers and citizens.
“By requiring these strict measures, I believe it is a tool that farmers can utilize while being protective of the public health concerns of the citizens,” Davina Bonness, Director of Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Department, said in a press release. “This practice will alleviate the nutrient application during the groundwater recharge times of spring and fall when wells are the most vulnerable to contamination.”
To read the full ordinance, visit the Kewaunee County website here.
