Stretched thin, Iowa agency issues few fines for manure pollution

The Department of Natural Resources division responsible for environmental oversight of 8,000 CAFOs hasn’t received a budget increase since 2016

Over half a century ago, Larry Stone moved to northeast Iowa, drawn by the abundant wildlife and the crisp, spring-fed streams that carve through rocky bluffs. In recent years, those waterways have increasingly come under threat.

In 2017, a 10,000-head cattle feedlot was built in a nearby town at the headwaters of Bloody Run Creek after a protracted battle with citizen and environmental groups. Ever since, Stone has spent what he estimates to be hundreds of hours focusing on the Supreme Beef LLC facility and its effect on one of Iowa’s “outstanding waterways.”…

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