Board approves conditional use permit for engineered 3.1‑million‑gallon manure pit on County 9 Boulevard

Goodhue County commissioners on Oct. 7 approved a conditional use permit allowing construction of a new, engineered manure storage pit at 23933 County 9 Boulevard.

Land use staff told the board the application was submitted by property owner Eric Ryan and located in an A‑1 Agricultural Protection District in Goodhue Township; the township had signed off on the conditional use application. Staff materials included site maps, Planning Advisory Commission minutes and correspondence from the Soil and Water Conservation District. Planning Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 15, received no speakers at the hearing but accepted written testimony, and forwarded a unanimous recommendation of approval to the board.

Staff described the proposed pit as professionally engineered, concrete‑lined, and approximately 415 feet in length by 218 feet wide and about 10 feet deep, designed to store up to 3,100,000 gallons of manure. Standard conditions recommended in the staff report were described as "nothing out of the ordinary." A board member moved approval "of the planning commission recommendation of the finding of fact and the conditions," the motion was seconded, and the board approved the conditional use permit by voice vote.

The approval adopts the planning staff report and the Planning Commission’s findings into the record and attaches the standard conditions identified in the staff materials. Staff said they were available to answer follow‑up questions and will enforce the permit conditions through normal regulatory inspections.