Ridge Breeze Dairy has appealed a decision requiring Wisconsin regulators to add a way to verify that its planned expansion is not harming groundwater near the farm in Maiden Rock, Pierce County. The dairy filed its lawsuit Sept. 23 in Outagamie County Circuit Court, challenging Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy’s ruling that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources must revise the farm’s permit. The DNR approved the expansion in February 2025, allowing Ridge Breeze to grow from 1,700 cows to 6,500. The expansion is expected to generate about 78 million gallons of manure each year. Local residents and the advocacy group Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) challenged the permit, arguing that it lacked adequate protections for area groundwater. After hearings in Eau Claire in March and August, Chaput Foy ruled that the permit needed a process enabling the DNR to determine whether the farm was complying with groundwater standards. The dairy argues that state law does not require the DNR to mandate groundwater monitoring or another method to detect violations. Its lawsuit also says the judge disregarded evidence that the permit’s existing conditions were reasonable and sufficient. Ridge Breeze says complying with the ruling could require it to pay for groundwater monitoring wells. Chaput Foy wrote that without a way to verify compliance, the DNR had issued requirements while lacking the tools and information to know whether they were being followed. Her ruling returned the permit to the agency for revision. Groundwater concerns have been central to local opposition. The area around the farm already has elevated nitrate levels, which are associated with health risks including blue-baby syndrome, thyroid disease and colon cancer. Many rural Wisconsin residents rely on private wells for drinking water. The permit process drew significant public participation. The DNR previously returned the farm’s application after it listed nearby properties as manure-spreading sites without first contacting the owners, according to the case history described in court proceedings. Danny Akenson, a GROWW organizer, said the appeal would prolong residents’ effort to secure a means of checking for groundwater contamination. He said the group would continue pressing for protections. The dairy’s lawsuit seeks to have the administrative decision reversed or sent back for further review.