The owner of a dairy farm in Kewaunee County, the manure hauler he hired to spread manure on the farm’s land, and an agronomist who submitted a false report about that waste to the Department of Natural Resources have all been charged by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. These individuals are being held accountable for their roles in spreading manure on the farm’s land.
According to the complaint, Gregory Stodola was hired by Johannes Wakker of Kewaunee in late 2019 to disperse extra manure on the farm that Johannes Wakker owned. Because the quantity exceeded what was allowed by Wakker’s permit, some of it was discharged into tributaries that lead to Lake Michigan with E. coli bacteria readings that were as much as 100 times higher than those that would result in the closure of a public beach.
According to the records, Stodola was responsible for creating a document that severely under stated the amount of manure that was really spread by more than 1.9 million gallons. After that, Stodola delivered the document to Wakker, and Wakker gave it to the defendant Benjamin Koss, who was a consultant engaged by Wakker to complete a mandatory report with DNR on the spreading of manure.
Before filing charges, the Department of Natural Resources conducted an investigation into the incident.
On the 12th of January, everyone of individuals implicated in the case is scheduled to make their initial appearance in the Kewaunee County Circuit Court.
