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Goodhue County approves conditional use permit for Bombay Dairy manure storage upgrade
Summary
County commissioners approved a conditional use permit allowing Bombay Dairy to replace earthen manure storage with a 150-by-250-foot concrete pit holding up to 3,000,000 gallons, subject to state permits and inspections.
Goodhue County commissioners on May 6 approved a conditional use permit to allow Bombay Dairy to replace smaller earthen manure storage with a 150-by-250-foot concrete manure storage pit that the county report says could hold up to 3,000,000 gallons.
The permit was approved after the county planning advisory commission recommended approval following a public hearing and after the county Board of Adjustment granted a variance reducing the odor-offset requirement from the county minimum of 91% to 88% for this site. The board approved the conditional use permit with three conditions: obtain a county building permit, comply with all applicable state and federal permits, and cooperate with county land use inspections.
Why it matters: The county’s zoning ordinance requires a conditional use permit for manure storage facilities larger than 500,000 gallons. County staff and the Goodhue County Soil and Water Conservation District presented the project as an environmental improvement because switching from frequent field applications from earthen storage to a single, injected annual application from a concrete storage can reduce road transport, daily spreading in variable weather and, staff said, reduce the risk of runoff compared with daily spreading.
Planning staff summarized the application and explained the property is zoned A-1, comprises 82 acres in Wanamingo Township, and is a registered feedlot for 970 animal units (770 mature dairy cows and 200 dairy heifers). The planning advisory commission heard one emailed opposition citing environmental concerns about large manure storage and sensitive southeastern Minnesota topography. Kelsey Pettit of the Goodhue County Soil and Water Conservation District told the commission the proposal complied with county and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency requirements. Applicant Wayne Lexvold described application and transport practices and said the new storage would reduce daily spreading and road trips.
The Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a requested variance from the county’s standard odor-offset model, developed by the University of Minnesota, after a neighboring landowner testified they expected odors to decrease with the new pit. Planning staff noted the variance was a condition precedent for the conditional use permit because the facility’s location depended on that reduced offset.
The county’s findings of fact adopted by the planning advisory commission included that the conversion to concrete storage would not impede nearby development, would comply with zoning requirements, would not be injurious to neighboring uses or property values, and that measures will be taken to prevent offensive odors and protect water resources. Engineering plans for the concrete storage, prepared by ProAg Engineering, were noted to include redundancies intended to limit the risk of leaching if the structure were compromised.
The board voted to approve the conditional use permit; the motion passed with the customary voice vote of aye and no recorded roll-call tally in the public record.
The decision now requires the applicant to obtain required permits and building approvals before construction can proceed.
