MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin regulators have issued a wastewater permit that limits expansion plans for a factory farm in Door County.

S & S Jerseyland Dairy, which is based in Sturgeon Bay, asked the state Department of Natural Resources for permission to increase its herd from about 5,000 cows to about 10,000 cows.

The DNR issued a final permit on June 30 that limits the expansion to about 7,380 cows. The operation also must submit a groundwater monitoring plan and install monitoring wells at its production area. The farm won’t have to monitor groundwater in areas where it spreads manure, however.

Midwest Environmental Advocates, an environmental law firm, had raised concerns about the expansion leading to possible groundwater and drinking water pollution, citing a manure spill at the farm in 2017.

A message left at the farm Wednesday seeking comment on the permit wasn't immediately returned.

The state Supreme Court in 2021 ruled that the DNR can lawfully impose operating conditions like monitoring groundwater for pollution when granting factory farms' wastewater permits. Midwest Environmental Advocates and Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group, brought the lawsuit that resulted in the ruling.