VERNON COUNTY - At their most recent meeting in June, the Vernon County Land Conservation Committee approved a ‘Manure Spill Emergency Response Plan.’ The county had never previously formally adopted such a plan. The plan was developed in collaboration with the Vernon County Emergency Management department and UW-Extension. The plan still must be approved by Emergency Management in July.
“Earlier this spring when we had some precipitous thaws of a deep snow pack, our department became concerned about the potential for manure lagoons to overtop,” Vernon County Conservationist Ben Wojahn said. “At that time, we began conversations with Emergency Management and realized that we needed to be better prepared as a county to respond to these kinds of emergencies should they arise.”
In addition to approving the plan, Vernon County plans an outreach campaign to let producers know about the plan and how they can best work with the county should an emergency manure spill situation develop.
The plan begins be detailing different kind of situations, and then goes into greater deal about recommended emergency responses. The full text of the plan is available from the Vernon Land Conservation Department, 608-637-5480 or online on Vernon County’s website.