Homeowners in the northwestern section of Somers are planning a large turnout at a hearing Tuesday night on whether an Ellington dairy should be allowed to dump large quantities of cow manure into a holding area near their houses.
Oakridge Dairy contends it is putting in an irrigation pond, but neighbors say it amounts to a manure lagoon — and will be every bit as unappealing as that name sounds.
Ellington-based Oakridge, which state agriculture officials describe as Connecticut’s largest dairy, wants to truck cow waste to a field along Watchaug Road in Somers where it’s proposing to dig a 2.9-acre holding pit.
Watchaug Road homeowner Kevin Phillips this weekend was putting out lawn signs showing opposition and advising neighbors that a hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at town hall. He said people in the area don’t want the smell or risk of water pollution from a massive pit of animal waste.
The company argues that the pit would qualify as a farm irrigation pond under zoning and agricultural regulations, which give wide latitude to farming operations. Somers still has active farms, and its zoning code lists numerous agricultural activities as ZPNR: Zoning permit not required.
In October, Oakridge proposed a 5-acre holding pit on the Watchaug Road property for manure from its Ellington dairy. It was required to seek a sepcial use zoning permit, which was denied because town officials concluded it would be too close to the high-water table. At the time, there was significant opposition to the request.
“The proximity of such a development to residential areas would lower home values, diminishing the investments homeowners have made and affecting the town’s economic stability through decreased property taxes,” Scott Robert wrote on Facebook at the time.
This winter, the company’s engineer, J.R. Russo & Associates of East Windsor, notified the town that Oakridge wants to put an irrigation pond at the same site. It would be more than 2 acres smaller and also shallower, and would be farther from the high water table, according to Oakridge.
“It is Oakridge Dairy’s position that construction of the irrigation pond is part of the farm’s normal agricultural operations,” Russo said in a letter. “Thus, the proposed activity does not require zoning approval.”
Jennifer Roy, the zoning enforcement officer, consulted with the town attorney and concluded that Oakridge could build without going through the permitting process. Owen Jarmoc, who owns farmland and an airstrip alongside the site of the proposed pit, filed an appeal, which will be the subject of the zoning board of appeals’ hearing on Tuesday night.
A phone message Monday for Oakridge owner Seth Bahler was not returned.
Neighbors say they’re concerned about quality-of-life issues like odors, increased truck traffic and the possibility of insect swarms. But they also want studies of the potential impact on groundwater if the animal waste leaches through clay-lined pit.
Russo said there will be a 2-foot clay liner designed to U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.
If the zoning appeals board were to uphold Roy’s decision, Oakridge would be able to go ahead with its plan. If the board sustains Jarmoc’s appeal, the company would be required to apply for a zoning permit.