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Resident warns proposed 12,500‑cow Abercrombie dairy could threaten Red River Valley water
Summary
A Richland County resident told the Cass County Commission that Riverview LLP’s proposed 12,500‑cow confined feedlot near Abercrombie could draw large volumes of water and risk nitrate contamination of local water tables and rivers; commissioners urged tracking the issue at the state legislative level but noted limited county authority.
Good afternoon. My name is Eric Olsen and I live on a farmstead, just south of here in Richland County. I am here to provide information regarding a project that potentially could affect all of the Red River Valley: the proposed Abercrombie Dairy being developed by Riverview LLP, a 12,500‑head confined animal feeding operation (CAFO).
Olsen said the operation, located about three miles south of the city of Abercrombie, began permitting in early 2024 and only reached local awareness in August 2024. He said water is the most urgent concern: the dairy would require a minimum of about 350,000 gallons of water per day (more than 120,000,000 gallons per year) and that an application for appropriation submitted to the state requests a pumping rate of 2,000 gallons per minute from a site adjacent to the Red River. Olsen said those withdrawals and drought years could affect downstream users and the river’s flow.
Olsen also flagged contamination risks, saying the proposed barns and lagoon systems sit near shallow groundwater. He said the lagoons’ bottoms are roughly 22 inches above the water table and, citing review work done for community members by hydrologist Dave Erickson, concluded allowable seepage rates could permit contamination “in only about a year’s time.” He said the site lies about 1.4 miles from the Wild Rice River and 1.8 miles from the Red River and warned of manure‑related runoff during heavy rain or flooding events. Olsen also compared the waste output of a 12,500‑cow dairy to the sewage load of roughly 525,000 people.
“I am not here to try and convince you that animal agriculture is a bad thing,” Olsen said. “Animal agriculture growth is a positive thing for our state, but location must be carefully considered.”
Commissioners responded during the public comment period by thanking Olsen and urging him and other residents to contact state legislators. The commission discussed limited local authority over large CAFO siting and noted the legislature and state agencies govern water appropriation and environmental permitting. Commissioners suggested raising the issue with local senators and watching interim and session activity; one commissioner suggested legislation could be introduced in the upcoming January session.
Olsen told the commission the developer is a limited liability partnership (LLP) and said, in his view, tax and liability structures could leave local residents bearing environmental costs. He also said community members had learned of a separate proposed 25,000‑cow operation in Trail County that could compound downstream water stress.
Why it matters: Olsen framed the matter as a regional water and public‑health concern for multiple counties along the Red River. Commissioners acknowledged the issue and recommended constituents pursue state‑level avenues — outreach to legislators and the Department of Environmental Quality — while noting Cass County’s direct regulatory authority is limited.
The commission did not take formal action on Olsen’s comments; the matter remained a public comment and informational item at the meeting. Commissioners and staff advised monitoring state permitting and legislative developments and suggested community members share technical materials with the county and legislative delegation.
