Hartley, Iowa — Two men who own a hog confinement near Hartley have been fined $5,000 for manure violations by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
According to the Iowa DNR, Doug and Dan Schmitz of Currie, Minnesota own the hog confinement located about five and a half miles south of Hartley. The DNR says that on a number of occasions, dating back to 2011, inspections have shown that their manure storage facility did not have the required two feet of “freeboard,” or distance between the level of the manure and the top of the facility. Inspections noted that manure was seeping into the trees and that there were tall weeds on the edge of the basin. There was also not enough room to contain a winter’s worth of manure.
DNR officials ruled that not only will the Schmitzes have to pay a $5,000 fine, but they’ll have to remedy the situation or risk further fines.
