Wyatt Earp and General Patton protect contractor's barn

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

In a strange turn of events, an industrial painting contractor from Illinois has constructed a "hog containment facility" to protect his well water.

When the town annexed three acres of land to construct a well and an elevated water tower – both within 225 feet of his house – Bob Wargaski, from Island Lake, Ill., became concerned about the proposed 600 gallon- per-minute demand. "It would have drained my well, but the law in Illinois says 'too bad, so sad,'" says Wargaski.

When the village changed a law to prevent Wargaski's initial lawsuit, he discovered another statute stating that a public well cannot be constructed within 400 feet of a hog confinement facility. He contacted the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and found that the facility could be of any size.

Wargaski constructed a 300-square-foot barn, complete with slats, and his three pigs – Wyatt Earp, General George Patton and John Paul Jones – moved in six months later. The dispute remains unresolved.