×

Supervisors OK master matrix data

The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on the results of the master matrix evaluation of a proposed hog confinement north of Williams during its regular board meeting on Tuesday morning at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

The Fox Site hog confinement, which will house 4,999 head of the livestock, will be owned by Summit Farms, LLC.

“It will consist of two barns with pits underneath them for manure storage all under one roof,” said Kent Krause, from the Pinnacle group of Iowa Falls, which helped the site prepare its matrix application. “Those two barns with those number of pigs in them, they’re expected to produce 1.6 million gallons of manure per year.”

Krause said that the two barn buildings – which will each be 100-feet wide by 200-feet long – will have underground pits for the manure to keep the manure under roof. He said the manure will be injected into the ground for disposal rather than being spread on the surface to minimize the odor.

In order to obtain a permit for the facility from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the site managers or owners must complete a master matrix.

“The master matrix is a scoring tool evaluating how that site fits into the neighborhood,” Krause said. “It valuates impact on local air system, water system and the local community as a whole.”

There are a series of questions on the master matrix that address an array of topics like the site’s distance from the nearest residential buildings, schools or churches, as well as the distance from large water ways and other items of concern. The master matrix has a total of 880 points possible to score, and the number required to pass is 440 points.

The Fox Site master matrix scored 445 points, Krause said.

Hamilton County Supervisor Dan Campidilli went out to the site yesterday with Krause, the assisant county engineer and a representative from the DNR to verify the information on the master matrix application.

“Everything checked out here,” Campadilli said. “It met all the requirements it needs to meet.”

During the public hearing, the supervisors opened the floor for public opposition or support for the project. No members of the public attended the hearing, but the supervisors did receive one letter from county resident Tom Larson, who has talked with Campadilli and Krause about his concerns on the project.

The supervisors closed the public hearing and moved on to a motion for action on the master matrix for the Fox Site.

“What we are approving or not approving is the data that is included in the master matrix application,” Supervisor Doug Bailey said. “That is our job as prescribed by Iowa Code, as directed to us by the legislature and approved by the governor at that point in time. So we are agreeing or disagreeing with the information that has been provided (for the master matrix application).”

The supervisors unanimously approved the data in the master matrix application and it will now be sent to the DNR.

In other business, the supervisors formally accepted the resignation of County Engineer Nicole Stinn, whose last regular day on the job was Tuesday. Stinn will be available on a consulting basis until November.

The board received reports from Kathy Pfiffner, executive director of Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments, as well as Shelby Kroona, Hamilton County Public Health administrator.

A public hearing date was set for the establishment of the Doolittle Hill #314 drainage district. The hearing will be Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $3.46/week.

Subscribe Today