The Rural Voice, 1982-08, Page 23FARM NEWS
New liquid manure
storage bylaw
Huron county's new model liquid
manure storage bylaw is in the hands of
local municipalities and township councils
for approval and enforcement.
After many weeks of work on the part of
a special committee of county council,
Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of
Agriculture and Food and input from 8
commodity groups in the county, county
council reps voted in favour of the bylaw
by a margin of 19 to 11.
When the county set up a committee to
draft a new bylaw, local farm groups set to
work to find solutions to the problems of
liquid manure storage.
Farm groups met to consider some
points and offer input and according to one
member at that meeting, Jim McIntosh, it
was the first time he had seen so many
farm groups have unanimous agreement.
The bylaw, which provides regulations
on the various types of storage
systems, was changed to increase the
distances and offer stricter regulations.
A sample of some of the restrictions are:
a covered concrete manure pit must be 15
meters from a drilled well; 30 meters from
a dug well and 100 meters from a
communal well; earthen manure storage
must be located 50 meters from a drilled
well. 100 meters from a dug well and 250
meters from a communal well.
The detailed bylaw lists requirements
from soil types to capacity sizes. Storage
tanks already functioning which do not
comply with the bylaw are given room for
enlargement. reconstruction and repairs
that will be applicable under the new
bylaw.
Definitions for all aspects of the bylaw
cover a lot of ground work and the lengthy
document has to be studied by farmers
before they undertake any construction of
liquid manure storage. Violation of the
bylaw could mean a fine of 51.000 or six
months in jail.
Building a liquid manure storage pit
would require a building permit from the
local municipality or township office
provided the bylaw is approved by that
same office. Applications would require
waterways. wells. location of field drain-
age tile and all other existing buildings to
be marked. Type of livestock that exist on
the lot and the proposals for that lot all
have to be listed.
Liquid manure storage has been on the
farm for the last 20 years but there has
been marked increase in the last 10 years
with the improvements of storage cap-
acity. Mr. McIntosh, a farmer in Tucker -
smith township, noted that in the United
States some pits are large enough to hold
liquid manure for up to a year and a half on
the chance that weather conditions do not
permit the spreading of the manure and
the greater capacity would help prevent
spillovers. A tank of that size in cement
would be astronomical in costs, said Mr.
McIntosh, but earthen pits would make
. the project financially more feasible.
Outlawing the earthen manure storage
pits was not legally possible according to
the Muncipal act which allows councils to
only regulate the location, erection and
use of manure pits. not outlaw them. The
committee had to make the bylaw strict
and therefore able to stand up in court.
Members of county council who sat on
the committee were Fred Haberer, Harold
Robinson, Tom Cunningham. Bill Elston
and Paul Steckle.
Copies of the bylaw are available at the
township clerks' offices.
Challenges
for rural women
Challenges for rural women is the
theme of the second conference being
hosted by Centralia College of Agri-
cultural Technology. The program at this
year's conference will include: a workshop
for women on the farm, an exploration of
individual creativity, the challenges of
being alone. a summary of food and
nutrition. an examination of family
relationships and the challenge of making
changes in your life.
The conference will be held on August
27 and 28. It will begin Friday evening
with registration at 6:30 p.m. The evening
program will begin with a welcoming
address on "Why Rural Women are
Special". This will be followed by
discussion groups.
As well as the workshops on Saturday
there will be several films shown including
Dr. Helen Caldicott's film "If You Love
This Planet." "This film outlines the
horrors of nuclear war" says Valerie
Bolton, conference co-ordinator.
The program will conclude with a panel
discussion presenting a variety of or-
ganizations rural women can become
involved with. "1 know this will be an
excellent growth opportunity for women"
said Bolton "It will also be an opportunity
to meet new people and become more
involved in the community."
If you are interested. plan to register
early since space is limited by phoning
Centralia College at (519) 228-6691. There
is a $20.00 registration fee that must be
paid after your phone registration to hold
your spot. Overnight accommodation and
breakfast are available for $10.00 but it
will be payable at registration on August
27.
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THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1982 PG. 23