Ellington

When student social-justice group Our American Generation (OAG) investigated contaminated water in Yakima Valley, they found a UW link to the contaminants. The water was linked to cow feces from farms through a cooperative agreement with Darigold, the UW’s dairy vendor.

Members of OAG presented their findings to HFS. OAG’s Assistant Director Scott Davis relayed the report to HFS Project and Sustainability Manager Micheal Meyering.

“I was concerned right away,” Meyering said, which prompted him to set up a meeting between OAG and Darigold representatives. “Darigold has been our business partner for as long as I can remember. I wanted everyone to have a chance to explain their side.”

HFS ultimately decided to keep its contract with Darigold.

At a meeting this past December between OAG and Darigold representatives, Dargiold said it operates as a co-op, not a corporation, and therefore, each individual farmer is autonomous.

“I work for the farmers, and each of them has to manage his or her own farms,” said Steven Rowe, Darigold senior vice president and general counsel.

Darigold listed other possible contamination issues such as improper well construction.

“There is the potential problem of shallow and poorly maintained wells being used in agricultural areas, which can lead to conflicts,” Rowe said. “We are trying hard to determine if there is a problem, and if there is, anyone who has had an influence should be at the table.”

Meyering said collaboration is the best solution, but OAG members are less optimistic.

“We are not going to reach a solution without someone paying up,” Davis said. “Collaboration sounds good, but I don’t think it will be solved quickly.”

OAG founders Davis and Sam Withers were open to Darigold’s suggestions, but felt they were not given “any realistic alternative.”

HFS was concerned about the findings, but was not ready to renegotiate a Darigold contract. Meyering said, “We [HFS] have a very open relationship with Darigold, and we want to maintain that.”

For Davis and Withers, the news was difficult to hear, but they said they understand HFS’ decision to maintain a vending contract with Darigold.

“We don’t expect [people] to stop buying dairy products, we just want more public awareness and to empower young people,” Withers said.

Davis and Withers, both juniors, established OAG spring quarter 2009. After contacting groups invested in Yakima’s environment, five OAG members put their own research project together.

OAG reported that improper treatment and storage of cow feces causes leakage into the groundwater. They found nitrate in 21 percent of the wells at concentrations over 10 milligrams per liter. In other words, a glass of water could potentially be 10-percent nitrate.

When OAG visited Yakima Valley last September, they saw the state of the dairies firsthand. They reported cows standing in their own waste and feces piled into mounds at dairies that they later learned were co-ops of the UW’s dairy vender.

“You just rolled down the window and the smell was horrible,” Davis said. “We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into.”

Reach contributing writer Alyssa Stout at development@dailyuw.com.