Van Wert Dairy Expansion Raises Water & Traffic Concerns

VAN WERT — Residents raised concerns about water usage, traffic safety and environmental impacts during a public hearing Wednesday on Convoy Dairy LLC's proposed expansion at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting oversaw the hearing. Attendees worried the larger operation would strain local water supplies, increase traffic on rural roads used by school buses and farm equipment, and degrade air and water quality through waste runoff into nearby streams.

The department will consider the community's concerns as it evaluates the project's permit application.