One of Wisconsin’s top dairy-producing counties has a manure problem. A new study by a US Department of Agriculture researcher indicates cow manure is making people sick in Kewaunee County.
There are roughly 50,000 dairy cows in Kewaunee County, outnumbering people nearly five-to-one. The region’s fractured bedrock means even deep wells are vulnerable to manure runoff, which is estimated to cause 250 cases of acute gastrointestinal illness in people each year.
The Wisconsin DNR is working on new rules regulating manure in northeastern Wisconsin, but the study raises questions about whether that’ll be enough.
