Cranberry Creek Dairy, located in Mondovi, WI, is preparing to expand its operations by over 300%.  Adding thousands more cows to the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) will have serious repercussions for the environment, local economy, and public health.  CAFOs produce massive amounts of manure and wastewater, which frequently discharges toxins into ecologically vital waterways and habitats.  125 known endangered, threatened, and special concern species are located in the nearby Lower Chippewa River, a waterway that empties into the Mississippi.  Critical species like the Sheepnose Mussel, Red-Shouldered Hawk, and Mud Darter all survive within this river basin or rely on its biodiverse ecology.

The DNR has recklessly approved CAFOs under an insufficient permitting system.  Cranberry Creek Dairy is able to violate manure spreading restrictions so long as it provides a plan for mitigation measures.  But CAFO wastewater is dangerous because it contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and host of pathogens, that cause massive algal blooms, dead zones, and spreads diseases like E. coli to drinking water.  Treatment for groundwater and surface water contamination is costly and the damages are virtually impossible to reverse.  The DNR's negligence risks our drinking water and quality of life.  Cranberry Creek's faulty proposal must be denied in order to set a precedence for stricter policies, and their enforcement.  We demand the DNR prioritize citizen health and environmental sustainability over agribusiness, and revise its lenient regulations on CAFOs.