Almost every sample of water from lakes and streams near the 3,600-animal Hartford/Red Arrow Dairy has come back testing positive for E. coli bacteria.
Hartford Township officials have asked the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners for help to assure that streams near the farm are not being polluted by manure from the 5,000-acre dairy facility.
The water is testing positive upstream of the dairy as well, which is causing added concern.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has done additional testing, and will be doing a study to show that the design of farm facilities and the regulations in place to monitor their operation do the job of protecting the environment.