In denying that permit, board members said the company seeking to build the facility failed to prove it had the assets to pay for the clean-up of any potential manure spills.

Smith said the panel could become dominated by members representing industries that pollute, resulting in a downgrade of the state’s waterways.

“At least there should be a reasonable balance,” Smith said.

Todd Parnell, the most senior member of the commission, also is upset with the override.

“I’m disappointed and I’m angry,” the Springfield resident said. “It’s a travesty to take away citizen representation as the foundation for the Clean Water Commission.”

Parnell, the former president of Drury University who has served on the board for a decade, said there are a number of large-scale farm projects in the commission’s pipeline that could draw scrutiny from the board, including a hog operation in Calloway County near Fulton.

“The water of our state is unique and precious and it belongs to the citizens and not corporations or agricultural or mining interests. It’s a legacy and a heritage,” Parnell said.