Lakeshore owners sue farmers, claiming pollution
Published 9:23 am Tuesday, August 21, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Homeowners who live on the shores of Lake Independence near Minneapolis say a dairy farm is to blame for turning the lake into a noxious mix of pollutants.
Twenty-one individual homeowners and the Lake Independence Citizens Association are suing Paul and Jim Merz, who operate a farm with about 135 cows that borders the lake. The lawsuit filed in Hennepin County contends the farmers have repeatedly violated state laws and polluted the lake with phosphorus in manure and runoff.
Paul Merz said that parts of the lawsuit are inaccurate, but he declined to discuss details.