MPCA takes steps to close Thief River Falls dairy

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Officials with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are moving toward a shutdown of a smelly dairy near Thief River Falls.

Excel Dairy has smelled so bad at times that neighbors have gotten sick. State health officials have declared it a public hazard.

In papers filed Wednesday, the MPCA says it made a preliminary decision to deny a new permit for the dairy. Its current permit expires April 28.

The MPCA Citizen's Board will make the final decision, probably in March.

The dairy is managed by Prairie Ridge Management Co. of Veblen, S.D. Chief Executive Rick Millner did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press Thursday. He previously blamed the odors on an MPCA requirement that the dairy empty a manure pit to see whether it was leaking into groundwater.

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