(Monona, IA) -- Environmental groups and Democratic state lawmakers want the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to block a large feedlot.
They say Supreme Beef's animal feeding operation near Monona would threaten a stream - Bloody Run Creek - that the state has already designated for special protection.
The department approved the feedlot in April, which is in line to be one of Iowa's largest cattle feeding operations.
Environmental and citizen groups have been trying to stop the operation from going in for years.
Bloody Run Creek is a popular trout fishing location. It's situated in the Driftless area of northeast Iowa, which is known for its bluffs and hilly terrain.
As an "Outstanding Iowa Water", Bloody Run Creek is provided protection by the Department of Natural Resources, which classifies it as "an outstanding state resource water in the water quality standards."
Critics of the planned feedlot say its operation will lead to excessive manure runoff that'll pollute the stream.
The Sierra Club Iowa Chapter and the Iowa Environmental Council were joined by nine Democratic lawmakers in sending a letter to Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon asking for use of special discretion to prevent feedlot from operating.
The feedlot has the backing of Republican State Senator Dan Zumbach, who is the father-in-law of Jared Walz, one of the owners Supreme Beef.