Sierra Club Sues To Stop Iowa Feedlot
The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club is suing the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over Supreme Beef LLC’s plan to build a 11,600-head cattle feedlot in Claton County in northeast Iowa.
The Iowa DNR approved the facility’s nutrient management plan in April after years of opposition from citizens and environmental groups. The feedlot’s plan estimated 35.4 million gallons of manure annually, but the Sierra Club’s lawsuit alleges Supreme Beef underestimated the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that will be produced and applied to 45 farm fields.
Specifically, the Sierra Club is concerned that runoff from the feedlot and spreading manure on farms would jeopardize Bloody Run Creek, which is a nearby cold-water trout stream.
“In spite of numerous comments from over 100 people and groups, the DNR blatantly violated its own rules and Iowa law when approving the nutrient management plan,” said Wally Taylor, an attorney for the Sierra Club of Iowa, in a statement.
Bloody Run Creek is a six-and-a-half mile, clear-water stream popular as a tourist spot and one of just 34 bodies of water in the entire state labeled as an “Outstanding Iowa Water” for its near-pristine condition.
