A group of citizens is raising a stink about a proposed feedlot operation in the RM of Rudy.

RM approval would open the door for a major feedlot with the eventual capacity to handle 36,000 head of cattle.

"We see a lot of potential in Outlook," said Stuart Thiessen, the owner of Strathmore, Alta.,-based Namaka Farms. He has already bought land in the area and said plans for the feedlot hinge on the decision from the RM. The lot would initially be set up for anywhere between six and nine thousand head of cattle and be located about 20 kilometres southeast of Outlook.

Much of the grain and cattle used at his Alberta feedlot comes from Saskatchewan, says Thiessen.

"It makes sense to move towards the input," he said. The company will not go ahead with further engineering or planning until it receives zoning approval.

The RM will hold a public meeting tonight to discuss the Namaka Farms proposal and serious debate and questions from the public are expected. There is significant concern from citizens about runoff from the operation into the water system.

"We are hoping that the public at large will come on side and realize that this is being proposed in an irresponsible location," said Amanda Bouchard, an Outlook-area farmer. She made a presentation to Saskatoon city council last month saying the public should be concerned about the threat to the water system.

Her family was contacted a few months ago by Namaka Farms and told of its intentions to build a 36,000-head feedlot operation within three kilometres of her farm.

"The potential for a major catastrophe is there," said Bouchard. "It is a tough balance between jobs and environment, but at the same time, if we lose our water, it's done."

A petition is circulating asking the RM of Rudy to decline the application. Residents are worried about polluting the source waters for a number of communities in and around the RM of Rudy, including those relying on the South Saskatchewan River and those connected to the M1 Canal. The canal is the main water source for the Broderick reservoir, which supplies the 36,000 acres belonging to the irrigation district and the Saskatoon southeast water system.

The petition also says the proposal will create a hardship among ratepayers of the RM of Rudy based on the increased use of roadways inadequately built for the higher traffic. The petition asks the RM to finish developing a concise land use plan before accepting any new proposals.

RM Coun. Larry Peterman says the proposal came across the RM desk in April, and he also has concerns, mostly related to the slope and drainage patterns of the land the feedlot would be located on. The land and surrounding area is designed for irrigation, he said, and drain into the river.

"I am not prepared to have a third of the province's drinking water at risk," Peterman said.

He said the amount of manure to be processed would exceed the amount that surrounding fields could handle.

He also believes approving zoning for one feedlot operation will open the door to more.

"Once this one's here and it gets in, you can guarantee there will be another half a dozen within the next five or six years," he said.

"A lot of people say, 'Well that won't happen because Saskatchewan government regulations will protect us,' " Bouchard said. "As long as they realize that what they're monitoring is the feedlot, not the 300,000 tonnes of manure that has the potential to be on the land."

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment said Wednesday it and the Ministry of Agriculture are aware of the proposal but can't comment on specifics until they receive an application from Namaka Farms, which hinges on the decision made by the RM councillors.

The public meeting will be held today at the Outlook Civic Centre at 7 p.m.

jstewart@sp.canwest.com