DETURKSVILLE — Many neighbors have been coping with the odor of a Washington Township duck farm for nearly six months, but the Department of Environmental Protection investigated its first official complaint against the property Thursday.
Mark Carmon, DEP community relations coordinator at the Northeast regional office, said an individual filed the complaint this week regarding the operation procedures of the Stoltzfus Pekin Duck Farm at 160 Farm View Road, which is owned by Dale S. Stoltzfus, 27, and his wife, Regina W., 29.
Carmon said he could not release the name of the person who filed the complaint.
“I don’t have the specifics, just that there were concerns about the operation of the duck farm, so we followed up on that and we’re doing an inspection of the entire facility,” Carmon said Thursday.
Carmon said a DEP official was at the farm Thursday afternoon and an inspection report would be available today or Monday.
“They were here for a routine inspection and they said everything looked real good,” Dale said Thursday about 5 p.m.
Schuylkill County Conservation District Manager Craig R. Morgan said he heard of the complaint through DEP, but no conservation district employee was available Thursday to visit the farm.
“I’m waiting for a call from the person who did the inspection to know what he found,” Morgan said.
Carmon said the last inspection of the property took place about the time it opened in September.
Farming operations
The DEP issued an operations permit to the Stoltzfuses in September after some community controversy. On Aug. 15, DEP held a public hearing where concerned citizens voiced opinions about the proposed duck farm, mainly about potential effects to their drinking water.
“That was something that we looked at during the review of the operation and it also came up during the public hearing and we feel that if the operator complies with the permits and the issues in the permit, then it shouldn’t be an issue,” Carmon said.
Washington Township is a 31.1-square-mile agricultural area with 50 miles of township roads and an additional 20 miles of state roads, which are home to several dairy, pig and chicken farms.
Washington Township Secretary and Treasurer Randy Stump estimated that there are about 50 farms in the area. Morgan did not have an exact number of farms in Washington Township, but said 50 was a good ballpark figure.
Stump said he has not personally heard any complaints about the farm.
Dale said Wednesday about 28,000 ducks populate the farm. The farm is one of 18 independent farms raising ducks for poultry processor Jurgielewicz & Son Ltd., Shartlesville, Berks County.
Feed trucks come to the site about once or twice a week, and two trucks come every two weeks to pick up grown ducks for processing, Dale said.
Odors in the Air
Neighbors said this week it’s not the sight of the 65-acre farm or the truck traffic that bothers them — it’s the smell.
Duck manure is collected in a shallow concrete pit directly below the barns. A scraper mechanism moves the waste gradually to a small concrete pit at the end of the barn to a manure impoundment or “lagoon,” which is lined with high-density polyethylene and has a leak detection system, according to DEP.
The 100- by 125-foot lagoon is set up to hold 750,000 gallons of waste, Dale said.
Some residents, like Lisa Carter, 419 Dad Burnhams Road, wondered if there were any methods of decreasing the stench, which is “overwhelming” sometimes, she said.
The Stoltzfuses live on the farm property and say they can handle the smell, which is only stronger on “heavy air days,” Dale said.
“On your still, heavy-air days when it’s raining and you’re not going to hang wash out anyway, you’re going to have smell,” Dale said.
Carter and Olive Brower, 253 Wild Cherry Road, who live downwind of the farm, said they can’t hang their laundry on the line to dry when the smell is bad.
“It’s neat and clean and well-maintained. The only thing I object to is the smell,” Olive said.
A cover on the lagoon would be a bad and illegal solution to the odor, Dale said.
“Manure creates methane gases and if you have methane gas buildup underneath something, one day you’ll have a big explosion,” he said.
Olive has been keeping a record of the most powerful odor days and says it is sometimes so bad she can’t open her windows.
Patti and Michael Minehan live across the street from the Stoltzfuses. They are upwind of the farm and say the odor “hasn’t been atrocious yet.”
The three neighboring families wondered if the summer weather will strengthen or weaken the odor.
Dale said the increased foliage on the trees will deflect the smell upward and weaken it.
“It dissipates your smell. It creates an updraft, and when you have an updraft your air goes up instead of in the valleys,” he said. “The summertime will be better than it is in the wintertime.”
Property Value Effects
Patti said her major concerns with the duck farm were long-term effects, such as its affect on property value.
The Carters are trying to sell their home and say the duck farm affects potential buyers’ decisions.
Erica Ramus, broker and owner of Realty Executives, Pottsville, said people moving into a rural area must understand the presence of farms.
“It definitely is a valid concern, however, if the operation is clean and neat and you can drive by and not see any obvious refuse or pollution, then it will be fine. It will have minimal effect,” Ramus said Wednesday.
“It does not affect what the neighboring properties are worth, not in the least ... Our township is considered agricultural,” Dale said.
Gene Brower said he would rather see a duck farm on the land than 45 houses.
“I think it all depends on if there are any problems with the duck farm that will be obvious to people coming into the area,” Ramus said. “Nobody wants to live next to something that smells or looks dirty. There certainly can be a neighboring impact.”
Mark Carmon, DEP community relations coordinator at the Northeast regional office, said an individual filed the complaint this week regarding the operation procedures of the Stoltzfus Pekin Duck Farm at 160 Farm View Road, which is owned by Dale S. Stoltzfus, 27, and his wife, Regina W., 29.
Carmon said he could not release the name of the person who filed the complaint.
“I don’t have the specifics, just that there were concerns about the operation of the duck farm, so we followed up on that and we’re doing an inspection of the entire facility,” Carmon said Thursday.
Carmon said a DEP official was at the farm Thursday afternoon and an inspection report would be available today or Monday.
“They were here for a routine inspection and they said everything looked real good,” Dale said Thursday about 5 p.m.
Schuylkill County Conservation District Manager Craig R. Morgan said he heard of the complaint through DEP, but no conservation district employee was available Thursday to visit the farm.
“I’m waiting for a call from the person who did the inspection to know what he found,” Morgan said.
Carmon said the last inspection of the property took place about the time it opened in September.
Farming operations
The DEP issued an operations permit to the Stoltzfuses in September after some community controversy. On Aug. 15, DEP held a public hearing where concerned citizens voiced opinions about the proposed duck farm, mainly about potential effects to their drinking water.
“That was something that we looked at during the review of the operation and it also came up during the public hearing and we feel that if the operator complies with the permits and the issues in the permit, then it shouldn’t be an issue,” Carmon said.
Washington Township is a 31.1-square-mile agricultural area with 50 miles of township roads and an additional 20 miles of state roads, which are home to several dairy, pig and chicken farms.
Washington Township Secretary and Treasurer Randy Stump estimated that there are about 50 farms in the area. Morgan did not have an exact number of farms in Washington Township, but said 50 was a good ballpark figure.
Stump said he has not personally heard any complaints about the farm.
Dale said Wednesday about 28,000 ducks populate the farm. The farm is one of 18 independent farms raising ducks for poultry processor Jurgielewicz & Son Ltd., Shartlesville, Berks County.
Feed trucks come to the site about once or twice a week, and two trucks come every two weeks to pick up grown ducks for processing, Dale said.
Odors in the Air
Neighbors said this week it’s not the sight of the 65-acre farm or the truck traffic that bothers them — it’s the smell.
Duck manure is collected in a shallow concrete pit directly below the barns. A scraper mechanism moves the waste gradually to a small concrete pit at the end of the barn to a manure impoundment or “lagoon,” which is lined with high-density polyethylene and has a leak detection system, according to DEP.
The 100- by 125-foot lagoon is set up to hold 750,000 gallons of waste, Dale said.
Some residents, like Lisa Carter, 419 Dad Burnhams Road, wondered if there were any methods of decreasing the stench, which is “overwhelming” sometimes, she said.
The Stoltzfuses live on the farm property and say they can handle the smell, which is only stronger on “heavy air days,” Dale said.
“On your still, heavy-air days when it’s raining and you’re not going to hang wash out anyway, you’re going to have smell,” Dale said.
Carter and Olive Brower, 253 Wild Cherry Road, who live downwind of the farm, said they can’t hang their laundry on the line to dry when the smell is bad.
“It’s neat and clean and well-maintained. The only thing I object to is the smell,” Olive said.
A cover on the lagoon would be a bad and illegal solution to the odor, Dale said.
“Manure creates methane gases and if you have methane gas buildup underneath something, one day you’ll have a big explosion,” he said.
Olive has been keeping a record of the most powerful odor days and says it is sometimes so bad she can’t open her windows.
Patti and Michael Minehan live across the street from the Stoltzfuses. They are upwind of the farm and say the odor “hasn’t been atrocious yet.”
The three neighboring families wondered if the summer weather will strengthen or weaken the odor.
Dale said the increased foliage on the trees will deflect the smell upward and weaken it.
“It dissipates your smell. It creates an updraft, and when you have an updraft your air goes up instead of in the valleys,” he said. “The summertime will be better than it is in the wintertime.”
Property Value Effects
Patti said her major concerns with the duck farm were long-term effects, such as its affect on property value.
The Carters are trying to sell their home and say the duck farm affects potential buyers’ decisions.
Erica Ramus, broker and owner of Realty Executives, Pottsville, said people moving into a rural area must understand the presence of farms.
“It definitely is a valid concern, however, if the operation is clean and neat and you can drive by and not see any obvious refuse or pollution, then it will be fine. It will have minimal effect,” Ramus said Wednesday.
“It does not affect what the neighboring properties are worth, not in the least ... Our township is considered agricultural,” Dale said.
Gene Brower said he would rather see a duck farm on the land than 45 houses.
“I think it all depends on if there are any problems with the duck farm that will be obvious to people coming into the area,” Ramus said. “Nobody wants to live next to something that smells or looks dirty. There certainly can be a neighboring impact.”
THis is from the Friday edition of the Pottsville Republican & Herald.
http://www.republicanherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19344863&BRD=2626&PAG=461&dept_id=532624&rfi=6
