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FOND DU LAC - Water is inextricably linked to life, and the need to protect Wisconsin’s valuable natural resource is evident in far-reaching environmental lawsuits before the state Supreme Court that focus on protecting drinking water from agricultural pollution.
Runoff from barnyards, areas spread with livestock manure, eroding agricultural lands and streambanks, cattle accessing those streams and other poor land-use practices are all sources of contamination for waterways that flow through the state s 84,000 miles of river into 15,000 lakes and millions of wetland acres.
In one lawsuit, environmental groups, along with neighbors of Kinnard Farms, a concentrated animal feeding operation known as a CAFO, with 8,200 cows east of Green Bay, are challenging a permit that allows for expansion of the business.