Lewis & Clark water system to expand as Big Sioux River suffers CAFO development

South Dakota's socialized dairies are wreaking habitat havoc all along the state's border with Minnesota and like most of East River, southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa are Republican strongholds where dairies, swine units and other concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have devastated water supplies by contaminating wells with nitrates. 

Several neighbors and others spoke in opposition of a request by farmer Troy Randall for permission for a 6,500-head dairy in southern Moody County. Randall who lives at 24250 479th Ave., southeast of Trent, is seeking a conditional use permit for a Class A Concentrate Animal Feeding Operation that eventually will be owned by John Bidart. Bidart, who is from California, owns Wildwood Dairy south of Egan, the most recent dairy to open in the county. But most of the neighbors and residents of the county who attended the meeting spoke against allowing the dairy to be built, expressing concerns about the environment, flies and dust, roads, health and way of life. Well driller Jim Lacey of Trent said he is concerned about water issues with the dairy. “The water is going to make it into the Sioux River, folks. It’s a long-term thing we’re looking at,” he said. “That isn’t a position. It’s facts.” [Residents criticize dairy proposal] 

Now, because of environmental degradation driven by CAFOs officials with the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System (LCRWS) want to expand output from its current 45 million gallons per day to 60 million gallons per day. 

The third pipeline segment consists of 12.6 miles of 24-inch transmission pipeline located between Beresford and Sioux Center and involves crossing the Big Sioux River. [Lewis & Clark officials propose expansion]

This isn't self-reliance; it's moral hazard. Instead of empowering communities to harvest snow melt and rain water rural communities continue to be dependent on politicians who exploit need.