Central Sands must pay $245,000; facilities must be abandoned by July 2027

A Juneau County court judgment requires Central Sands Dairy LLC to pay $245,000 and abandon its county waste-storage facilities by July 1, 2027. The Wisconsin Department of Justice estimates the abandonment work will cost $315,000, a separate estimate rather than an additional payment ordered by the court.

The distinction changes how to read the figures: the estimated work cost is $70,000 more than the payment, or about 29% higher. But the dairy was not ordered to pay $560,000. The judgment specifies a $245,000 payment, while the $315,000 figure estimates the cost of carrying out the separate facility-abandonment requirement.

Payment and facility deadline are separate i

The $245,000 covers forfeitures, surcharges, costs and attorney fees. The abandonment work concerns the dairy’s concentrated animal feeding operation waste-storage facilities in Juneau County and must follow plans conditionally approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The order sets July 1, 2027, as the facility-abandonment deadline; it does not state a deadline for the payment. The court retains jurisdiction to ensure compliance with the judgment.

Judge Paul S. Curran signed the order Oct. 5, 2026, and it was filed Oct. 6. The Department of Justice announced the settlement Oct. 16.

The case ended by stipulated judgment i

The state’s civil environmental enforcement action alleged that the dairy failed to meet groundwater-quality standards, improperly applied manure, did not complete a storage-facility upgrade required by its Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, and failed to submit a required plan to the DNR.

Those were allegations by the state, not findings that each violation was proven at a contested trial. The parties resolved the case through a stipulated judgment, which says it disposes of the litigation and is intended to be appealable. The judgment requires the payment and facility abandonment; the court’s continuing jurisdiction gives it authority to address compliance with those terms.