Water Quality Advocates Challenge DNR Decision on Clayton County Cattle Lot

The Iowa DNR has renewed a water use permit for a large cattle feeding operation in Clayton County – and water quality advocates are pushing back. 

James Larew is the attorney for the Driftless Water Defenders, the primary group contesting Supreme Beef’s permit. He says they’ll appeal the decision because it isn’t the first time the DNR has failed to follow state statutes.

The decision to renew the permit comes just after an administrative law judge ruled the DNR didn’t fully consider the potential environmental impact of Supreme Beef’s water use permit. Larew says they’ll appeal, perhaps yet this week, because the agency’s actions violate regulations designed to protect Iowans and their water.

The group has already petitioned for EPA intervention. Supreme Beef’s Clayton County operation feeds almost 12-thousand cattle. According to the Defenders, the DNR hasn’t denied a water use permit since the 1950s.

story courtesy of Radio Iowa