If approved, the CAFO would affect the community within a five mile radius, represented by the blue circle.
Provided photo
MORRISTOWN — Just across the Hancock County border, into Shelby County, community members from both counties discussed their concerns about the possible Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) that has been proposed for Morristown.
There are approximately 300 acres in question for annexation, and if annexed, the land would go before the plan commission on whether to rezone the area for the CAFO. Of the 300 acres, 120 acres would be for approximately 6,500 cows and 40 acres for a biogas digester.
In Gwynneville Christian Church, located a few minutes southeast of Morristown, community members gathered to gain knowledge and ask questions about the proposed CAFO, and what that means for the people who live nearby. One of those residents is Jennifer Wright.
Jennifer and her husband Thomas moved to Morristown about 12 years ago, fell in love with the countryside and are raising one child there. However, if the CAFO gets approved, she’ll live right across the street from the farm, and it will only be 1.25 miles away from the school.
“Most publications recommend a minimum of a five-mile buffer zone for these types of operations,” Jennifer said.
Within those five miles, parts of southern Hancock County are included.
Other concerns the CAFO raises for the community are the water use and contamination that could occur. Jennifer said that based on the amount of cows and the amount of water they drink, that would estimate to 325,000 gallons a day, which raises the question if their aquifer and city water can support the consumption.
With contamination, there are concerns of the drainage being dumped into their streams and eventually contaminating Blue River.
“Understanding by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities” by The National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBH) states that “groundwater can be contaminated by CAFOs through runoff from land application of manure, leaching from manure that has been improperly spread on land, or through leaks or breaks in storage or containment units,” and that “contaminated groundwater can move laterally and eventually enter surface water, such as rivers or streams.”
Odors from the gases, higher numbers of insects and effects on physical and mental health are a few more concerns that were raised at the meeting.
NALBH states “The major source of pathogens from CAFOs is in animal manure. There are over 150 pathogens in manure that could impact human health…” It also states that while healthy people who are exposed recover quickly, many of the pathogens are concerning due to causing severe diarrhea.
A final point made in the presentation was the possible effect on property value. NALBH mentioned that the closer the property, the more likely the value will drop, and one study showed homes within 1/10 mile of a CAFO loses 88% of its value — that’s Jennifer and Thomas.
As far as a notice for the annexation and proposed CAFO, they believe they didn’t really receive one. Shelbyville News had one in their legal notices on July 20.
“We have some things we want to challenge to the town about procedurally this whole process, there are some things we think have not been done properly or outside what the Indiana Code requires of notification,” Thomas said during the presentation.
Officials from the county also were in attendance to listen and hear the community speak, which included members from the county council and a Morristown board member.
Elizabeth Rodenhuis from Morristown said she learned a lot from the meeting Thursday night, but felt it was respectfully held and also helpful to have officials there. Rodenhuis said that if this gets approved, she’s worried for her daughter’s future and how it will impact her.
“I think a lot of the time we look at what’s happening right now, but what does this look like for Morristown years down the line?” Rodenhuis said. “… I can’t imagine, you know, teaching my daughter how not to fight respectfully, right? Or what you believe in to protect your community… I think the important thing is for me to teach my daughter that you’ve got to stand your ground and come with facts about the situation.”
Jennifer said both the owners of the property and the CAFO have been approached and asked for more time before choices are made.
“We feel that this is such a big part of what would happen to our community, we wanted more time to research,” Jennifer said. “This doesn’t just affect me, this affects our whole entire community…”
In response to the proposal, the Facebook page “Say NO to Morristown CAFO” was created to keep members of the community updated throughout the process.
The page recently stated in a post, “This is not a campaign against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations as a whole, we are campaigning against the location of this Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation and how it will directly and drastically affect our entire community.”
As far as next steps, the next Morristown Town Council meeting will be Aug. 9, which is subject to change. A public hearing will be held at a later date, but is not confirmed yet.
