2022 - April-October - Confined Feeding Operation Application Denial & Observations During Process

Confined Feeding Operation Application

A local producer, G&S Cattle, applied to the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) to build a confined feeding operation (CFO) at the northwest end of Pigeon Lake. The CFO would be for 4,000 cattle and include pens, a manure catch basin, and manure spreading on 16 quarter sections.

What is a CFO?

It is a fenced or enclosed land or buildings where livestock are confined for the purpose of growing, sustaining, finishing or breeding by means other than grazing, and any other building or structure directly related to that purpose (Agricultural Operations Practices Act, Section 1).

Statements of Concern Submitted

Many residents, businesses, and stakeholders at Pigeon Lake were very concerned about the possible effects of this CFO on the lake and community. There was already observable pollution of Tide Creek due to run-off from the current operation. PLWA provided technical data to show how pollution from a CFO would have impacted the water quality in local streams and the lake even further. PLWA and hundreds of others submitted statements of concern to the NRCB asking for the CFO application to be denied.

Denial of CFO Application

The NRCB’s Approval Officer decided that the applicant failed to address valid concerns about “the effects on the community due in part to the location being in a sensitive watershed, the high use of the greater area by recreational users, and the efforts by the community to improve lake health.” The community's support and the Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan have both made a difference.

Appeal of Approval Officer Decision

G&S Cattle appealed the decision, asking for the NRCB to review the Approval Officer’s decision. Their appeal based overturning the denial mostly on the assumption that the Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan was not to be taken into consideration for the placement and operation of the proposed CFO. Again, PLWA and residents submitted rebuttals to the NRCB asking for the decision to be upheld, including new data that showed the risks of nutrient runoff from the manure spreading lands and the catch basin.

Dismissal of the Appeal

The NRCB Board dismissed G&S’s appeal, preventing the CFO from proceeding in the Pigeon Lake watershed. They found that the Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan was “credible and highly useful.” They said that “the nature in which the watershed Plans were developed and the commitment to those Plans as represented by the signatories represent a solid example of best practice in formalizing community interests.”

For the full details of the efforts to prevent the CFO being approved follow this LINK to the PLWA timeline of events. The PLWA is so appreciative of the support and attention to this poignant issue for the entire Pigeon Lake Watershed and surrounding area.