Wright County trustees reject one hog site, approve two others after DNR review and public hearing

Wright County trustees considered multiple master-matrix reviews and one public hearing for proposed animal confinement sites. Kent Krauss of Pinnacle (Iowa Falls) presented the Huntley facility plan, saying it would increase capacity from 4,440 to 4,800 head and "produce 1.5 million gallons of manure each year." DNR staff inspected related sites and recommended measuring water points near washed-out beaver dams; inspectors concluded the shop being built near the Buffalo site did not yet qualify as a residence under the Iowa Code definition used for matrix scoring.

Trustees debated the burden of proof for a structure to count as a residence, the impact of revised distance measurements on matrix points, and the appeal path to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission in Des Moines. One trustee said rescoring could reduce points by 35 if the shop qualified as a residence but that the site might still meet the passing threshold.

After discussion, trustees moved to reject the Buffalo site master matrix (Vernon Township) citing inappropriate point capture and approved the Larry Olsen (Lake Township) and Huntley (Boone Township) master matrices by motion. The record shows a motion to reject Buffalo carried; motions to approve the other two sites carried by voice/roll-call.