Activist’s victory will reduce farm runoff

Deepa Bharath

Five Chino dairy farms on Tuesday agreed to modernize operations

and reduce runoff under a federal court settlement initiated by local

environmentalist Bob Caustin.

Caustin’s group, Defend the Bay, and the Natural Resources for

Defense Council had filed lawsuits earlier this year against the

farms in Chino, an area that is home to the largest concentration of

dairy cows in the country.

Environmentalists such as Caustin have criticized the dairy

farmers in the past for allowing animal waste and other chemicals to

seep into creeks that flow into the Santa Ana River, which in turn

empties into the ocean. Caustin said the agreements issued Tuesday by

U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips will help solve the

problems relating to the runoff.

“The problem [in Chino] is there are too many cows in a very small

area,” he said. “Our model will set new standards for controlling

such waste.”

The environmental groups will bring in experts to help the farms

improve their operations, Caustin said. The environmental management

plans will include comprehensive training programs for farm workers,

construction berms and other structures to control the wastewater and

measures to reduce the amount of dust and other pollutants making

their way into the river. The program is expected to begin within the

next year or so.

David Albers, attorney for the five dairy farms, said his clients

tried their best to create a “workable solution.”

“They didn’t think they were doing anything wrong,” he said.

Albers said the Chino farms are victims of topography, that the

water that collects on top of the hills gushes downhill through the

farms and sweeps waste materials and pollutants into the river.

Caustin said the agreement will protect local waters, including

those downstream in Orange County.

“This issue affects our water supply as well as ocean recreation,”

he said.

Caustin said over the last year and a half, he and others have

spent several rainy days collecting water samples and gathering

evidence in Chino.

“If it rained, we’d be there,” he said. “That was a challenge. So

was the foul smell.”

Tuesday’s agreements will serve as models for reducing pollution

at other large dairy operations in the country, said David Beckman,

senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.