Anden Van Beek represented the petitioner, Jim Van Beek of Pork Plus Inc., which is based in Inwood, Iowa. Van Beek proposed a 2,200-head hog confinement that would sit 100 feet from 290th St. and 100 feet from 467th Ave., about 11 miles south of Lennox.

Odell Overgaard, who lives near the confinement and owns farmland, represented residents who were concerned about the confinement's proximity to a main source of water.

The Lewis & Clark pipeline is being installed within 100 feet of 467th Avenue.

"Any leakage, any at all, would get into the water stream instantly," Overgaard said.

Casey Wright, a farmer who lives one mile from the site, said the creek that runs through the confinement also serves his pasture, where he raises cattle and hopes to raise sheep. Wright said he is concerned about high levels of copper that hogs are fed and excrete, which are toxic to sheep.

"It's problematic to my livestock when there is a direct runoff to my water source."

Overgaard said the complaints have nothing to do with the livestock corporation.

"It's the wrong facility for the wrong location," he said.

Source: ArgusLeader.com