Pigs or Clean Water? Neighbors Pick Pigs

This article in the Chicago Tribune — Farmer Bob turns water into swine — wins the prize for the most captivating story featuring agriculture v. urban sprawl.

Here’s the gist. Farmer Bob, aka Bob Wargaski, is fighting a proposed water tower that city planners hope to erect near his Island Lake area property. At a cost of $5 million, the water tower’s new neighbors are expected to take the property value hit and foot the bill.

So it may be no surprise that neighbors have rallied around Bob’s race to establish a pig farm on his property. Under state law, water towers can’t be erected within 400 feet of a swine operation because of water contamination concerns. Usually those concerns prompt neighbors to oppose pig operations, which are smelly and…um…create water contamination issues.

But, for possibly the first time ever, neighbors are siding with the pigs over a clean water tower, that is not only expensive, but would presumably deliver enough water to the area to spur even further development.

This may turn into a battle of the permits. The water tower team already has theirs. But Bob filed for his in Springfield this week.

And, he’s erected a sign: Future site of Bob’s Pig Farm.

Stay tuned to see who wins.