Story courtesy KUOO – Explore Okoboji
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(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to send a survey to other Iowa counties asking them if they feel the Master Matrix system should be revised to give local authorities more control over the placement of large confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOS. The supervisors took the action after hearing from Jim Youngclass, a former Dickinson County Extension Director who now lives in Grinnell and serves on the board of directors of Concerned Citizens of Iowa.
Bill Van Orsdel, President of the Iowa Great Lakes Association, was among those calling on the supervisors to distribute the survey.
“What happens as a result of the survey, you’ve got another discussion to have,” said Van Orsdel. “But it’s a long ways from local control. It’s a long ways from changing the matrix, but at least you’ll know. You have a reputation in the Iowa Legislature as begin one of the leading counties on an issue of this type and also on your lake management.”
Counties will have 30 days in which to return the survey to the Dickinson County Auditor’s Office. Following that, Dickinson County Supervisors will review the results and decide what action to take from there.
Tuesday’s meeting also included a briefing on the Des Moines Waterworks lawsuit. Click here for that story.