CAFO proposed in Steuben County

December 20, 2022

A “confined animal feeding operation” (CAFO) is being proposed about five miles southeast of Clear Lake. The property address is 2539 N 1000 E, York Township, Fremont, IN. A CAFO is also called a "concentrated animal feeding operation."
An article by Mike Marturello in the December 10-11, 2022 edition of The Herald Republican is linked here with details about the CAFO and the laws and regulations for CAFO’s in Indiana.
The location of the proposed CAFO is outside of the Clear Lake Township and the Clear Lake Watershed. The boundaries of the Clear Lake Township and Watershed are shown here.
The CAFO operators have applied for a permit for a special exception from the Steuben County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). The matter (SE-22-02) is scheduled for hearing before the BZA on January 9, 2023 at 7pm (Eastern) in the Steuben Community Center in Angola. Comments may be addressed to the BZA by email at: plancommission@co.steuben.in.us.
Opposition has been filed by the Steuben County Lakes Council and is also being reviewed by groups of concerned residents. Periodic information is posted on Facebook (Clear Lake Group) and by Bonnie Brown on behalf of another group (bonniedon1@gmail.com).
The restrictions for CAFO’s are state-specific.Indiana’s laws for CAFO’s are generally administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and by local (usually county) zoning and land use commissions.
CAFO issues can include effects of the operation on adjacent neighbors; pollution associated with animal waste; smells and odors; noise; and increased traffic on roads servicing the CAFO. Many of these issues are governed by standards specifically set by the state and local laws and, at times, may be mitigated by regulatory oversight as part of the permit process.
The Conservancy is following its normal process for issues arising outside of its service area (watershed, township) by monitoring the situation and serving as an information resource for individuals and other organizations. Concerned individuals are encouraged to review facts, attend the hearing, and file statements with the entities responsible for the permits.
In past cases similar to this, our Executive Director would lead the communications. In this particular matter, Executive Director Bridget Harrison serves on the Steuben County BZA and is unable to be involved outside of her BZA responsibilities due to BZA conflict of interest rules.
The Board will continue to monitor developments and will make pertinent information and research available to the community through our website: clearlakeconservancy.org.

Karen Horrell, President
On behalf of the Board of Directors