SPIRIT LAKE — A Dickinson County survey prompting all of Iowa’s county supervisors to anonymously respond toward updating the master matrix for swine facility construction is gaining momentum as the 30-day deadline approaches.
Union County has submitted a reply to the survey. Across the state, 34 out of 99 counties have responded to the survey that was sent out the week of March 23.
Dickinson County Supervisor Paul Johnson was the driving force behind designing the survey to gather opinions from supervisors across the state.
“We wanted to see how the other supervisors feel about it,” Johnson said. “Should the existing master matrix system be repaired to include more local control?”
Johnson said the survey responses will be kept anonymous so supervisors can respond truthfully without repercussions from local constituents who are for or against new or expanding swine facilities.
“Some counties do not meet every week, so we are expecting a few more responses to come in soon,” Johnson said. “We do not expect to get a response from all 99 counties.”
After the information is tabulated, Johnson said the results will be available for state legislators, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources.
Master matrix
Under Iowa law, the counties must publish a public notice within 14 days of the Iowa DNR’s receipt of the swine facility construction application.
Then, supervisors must score the applicant’s master matrix and submit the board’s scoring and recommendation to the DNR no later than 30 days after the DNR received the application.
To receive a passing mark, the site must score a 440 on the master matrix. The matrix score reflects how the site is managed to prevent manure spills and how far it is from other buildings. Applicants can also earn bonus points on their matrix if they, for example, plant trees on the site.
“Citizens need to understand that the master matrix was created about 14 years ago,” Johnson said. “Many new findings have come out that were not incorporated into the initial design of the matrix.”
A public hearing by county supervisors is not required, but is optional.