Planning commission recommends conditional use permit for large manure storage at Ellens farm

The Houston County Planning Commission voted on a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to grant a conditional use permit for a large liquid manure storage basin at property owned by Robert and Lori Ellens.

Planning staff read the application notice, saying an application had been filed for the Ellens’ parcel at 12188 County 10 in Caledonia and that the proposed structure was a 195-by-195-by-8-foot concrete basin (projected capacity described in materials as about 1,900,000 gallons). Staff also noted that written comments would be accepted through April 15 and that the county commissioners will hold a final hearing on April 24, 2025.

At the public hearing before the commission, an applicant representative described the farm’s current operation of about 120 milking cows and said the design would allow only limited expansion (to roughly 140 cows). The applicant said the proposed basin would let the operation haul manure seasonally in spring and fall rather than daily, and that the basin would receive milk-house waste and other on-farm liquids via a pumped connection to the pit.

Commission and staff questioning focused on construction and environmental safeguards. Staff and the applicant said the basin will be full concrete with a perimeter drain tile system to allow leak inspection and that inspections will occur during construction. Staff also explained that Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) design standards and state feedlot rules apply in different ways; NRCS specifications may add fencing or other site requirements, and state review typically triggers at a larger facility threshold.

Several formal findings were read aloud and adopted by the commission, including that the proposed use conforms to the county land use plan, that manure storage would allow more appropriate timing of land application to protect water quality, that soils and site utilities are adequate, and that pollution-hazard controls and runoff protections will be required as part of permit review. A commissioner noted that, because of incremental expansions at the site over the past decade and nearby dwellings, the applicants must separately obtain a variance next month for the project to be finalized.

The commission then voted to accept the staff findings and to recommend that the county commissioners grant the conditional use permit for the construction of manure storage over 28,000 gallons, subject to the conditions discussed and the required feedlot permit and variance. Planning staff conducted a roll call and recorded affirmative votes; the recommendation will appear before the Board of County Commissioners on May 6 for final action.

Public comment at the hearing included a nearby resident, Barbara Rollins, who said she neither opposed nor supported the project but expressed concern about potential impacts to the Beaver Creek Watershed and runoff under her driveway. Another neighbor, Mike Ingleson, spoke in support, commending the applicants for planning a system that he said would be an improvement for manure management and long-term farm viability.

Next steps for the project include completion of engineering review, a manure management plan review prior to issuance of the feedlot permit, and the separate variance hearing. The planning commission’s recommendation does not itself grant the permit; final approval rests with the county commissioners.