Advocates appeal state decision to grant permit to NE Iowa cattle feedlot

Seven Iowans have appealed state regulators’ decision to grant a water use permit to an 11,600-head northeast Iowa cattle feedlot.

An attorney for the group, which has formed the Committee to Save Bloody Run, announced the appeal Monday.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources earlier this month granted the water use permit to the feedlot, which is near Monona and operated by Supreme Beef LLC. It was a renewal of a permit first issued in 2017.

Neighbors and environmental groups expressed concerns that the feedlot will draw more water than stated in its permit renewal request.

The Committee to Save Bloody Run’s appeal disputes assertions by Supreme Beef that its water use will not affect Bloody Run Creek or other waterways in the region, and asks the state to revoke the water use permit.