HomeMy WebLinkAbout90-13 RESOLUTIONRESOLUTION NO.90-13
A RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE PERMITTING AND OPERATION OF
THE CONCENTRATED HOG FARM ALONG A MAJOR TRIBUTARY TO
THE BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER
WHEREAS, the Buffalo National River was the first National River to be so designated
by the United States Congress in recognition of its outstanding beauty, clean and clear water and
unspoiled character; and
WHEREAS, the National Park Service has acquired watershed and worked for years to
preserve the Buffalo National River's pristine quality for our citizens and our children to enjoy
forever; and
WHEREAS, the unspoiled character, beauty and clean water of the Buffalo National
River has drawn substantial tourism and has been an important economic engine for this entire
region including the City of Fayetteville for decades and if protected from environmental
dangers like concentrated hog farm operations will continue to provide substantial economic
benefits for this entire region; and
WHEREAS, a confined and concentrated 6,500 hog farm located next to a major
tributary to and very near the Buffalo National River severely endangers and threatens massive
air and water pollution of the Buffalo National River and thereby threatens the substantial
economics, cultural, and recreational benefits our region has long enjoyed from this Wild and
Scenic National River; and
WHEREAS, the City of Fayetteville requests that the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality reevaluate and reassess the propriety of granting a permit to this massive
factory hog farm; and
WHEREAS, the ADEQ, if it continues to permit this massive confined hog operation,
should treat this 6,500 hog farm similar to a 6,500 person city for purposes of wastewater
treatment and should require all effluent from this confined hog farm to meet the same standards
set for city wastewater plants.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS:
Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby opposes the
permitting and operation of the concentrated hog farm along a major tributary to the Buffalo
National River and requests that the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality review and
reassess the propriety of permitting this massive hog farm at this location.
Page 2
Resolution No. 90-13
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby requests
that any large concentrated hog farm anywhere in Arkansas be required to contain and process
all hog sewage to the same standards as effluent from a city wastewater plant.
PASSED and APPROVED this 16th day of April, 2013.
APPROVED:
ATTEST:
By: A&'4'
SONDRA E. SMITH, City Clerk/Treasurer
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AGENDA REQUEST
FOR: COUNCIL MEETING OF APRIL 16, 2013
FROM:
COUNCILMEMBER SARAH MARSH
MAYOR LIONELD JORDAN
ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION TITLE AND SUBJECT:
A Resolution To Oppose The Permitting And Operation Of The Concentrated
Hog Farm Along A Major Tributary To The Buffalo National River
APPROVED FOR AGENDA:
Sarah Marsh Date
Councilmember
io eld JordCate
M
ayor
`1 -� / 13
City Attorney Date
(as to form)
eDepartmental Correspondence
RKANSAS
TO: Mayor Jordan
City Council
CC: Don Marr, Chief of Staff
FROM: Kit Williams, City Attorney r"�---
DATE: April 3, 2013
Kit Williams
City Attorney
Jason B. Kelley
Assistant City Attorney
RE: Resolution To Oppose the Permitting and Operation of the Concentrated
Hog Farm Along a Major Tributary To The Buffalo National River
Councilmember Sarah Marsh and Mayor Jordan asked me to draft a
Resolution to express the City Council's opposition to the permitting and operation
of the 6,500 hog factory farm along a major tributary of the Buffalo National
River. Even though this concentrated hog factory farm operation is planned to be
located in another county, its adverse impact on regional tourism and the quality of
life of our citizens who have for decades enjoyed the opportunity to canoe or hike
along the pristine and wild Buffalo River certainly affects our City.
It is hard to imagine how the United States Farm Services Agency could
have concluded in its environmental assessment of this 6,500 concentrated hog
factory farm operation a "finding of no significant impact." Other states with a
history of these types of concentrated and confined hog factory farm operations
have suffered such degradations to their water and air that they have passed new
and much stricter regulations for these confined, factory hog farms. To avoid these
new regulations, the owners of these operations are now trying to move to new
states (like Arkansas) which have not yet learned the hard lessons and the need for
stricter water and air pollution standards for these types of factory farm hog
operations.
Hog excrement not only smells very much worse than chicken or cow
manure, but it is much more similar to human waste in its water polluting
capabilities. The ADEQ would never allow a city of 6,500 people to just use
lagoons that can easily. overflow after a storm and flow into the nearby creek (and
on to the Buffalo National River a few miles away) to store and "treat" human
waste. And yet the waste and excrement from this factory farm with 6,500 hogs is
supposed to be handled by these "lagoons." These lagoons will be like massive
pollution bombs, armed and aimed at the Buffalo National Wild and Scenic River
only a few miles away, just waiting for the right rain storm to release their
concentrated and disgusting pollution into our national treasure.
A factory farm of this size which necessarily creates a very substantial flow
of septic waste should be required to operate a permitted waste water treatment
plant (not a lagoon system) with an effluent standard comparable to those required
for human waste water plants at least for removal of ecoli, fecal and other
dangerous pollutants.
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE PERMITTING AND OPERATION OF
THE CONCENTRATED HOG FARM ALONG A MAJOR TRIBUTARY TO
THE BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER
WHEREAS, the Buffalo National River was the first National River to be so designated
by the United States Congress in recognition of its outstanding beauty, clean and clear water and
unspoiled character; and
WHEREAS, the National Park Service has acquired watershed and worked for years to
preserve the Buffalo National River's pristine quality for our citizens and our children to enjoy
forever; and
WHEREAS, the unspoiled character, beauty and clean water of the Buffalo National
River has drawn substantial tourism and has been an important economic engine for this entire
region including the City of Fayetteville for decades and if protected from environmental
dangers like concentrated hog farm operations will continue to provide substantial economic
benefits for this entire region; and
WHEREAS, a confined and concentrated 6,500 hog farm located next to a major
tributary to and very near the Buffalo National River severely endangers and threatens massive
air and water pollution of the Buffalo National River and thereby threatens the substantial
economics, cultural, and recreational benefits our region has long enjoyed from this Wild and
Scenic National River; and `
WHEREAS, the City of Fayetteville requests that the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality reevaluate and reassess the propriety of granting a permit to this massive
factory hog farm; and
WHEREAS, the ADEQ, if it continues to permit this massive confined hog operation,
should treat this 6,500 hog farm similar to a 6,500 person city for purposes of wastewater
treatment and should require all effluent from this confined hog farm to meet the same standards
set for city wastewater plants.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS:
Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby opposes the
permitting and operation of the concentrated hog farm along a major tributary to the Buffalo
National River and requests that the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality review and
reassess the propriety of permitting this massive hog farm at this location.
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby requests
that any large concentrated hog farm anywhere in Arkansas be required to contain and process
all hog sewage to the same standards as effluent from a city wastewater plant.
PASSED and APPROVED this 16th day of April, 2013.
APPROVED:
L'In
LIONELD JORDAN, Mayor
ATTEST:
SONDRA E. SMITH, City Clerk/Treasurer