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Reports and Factsheets Water Contamination from Factory Farms Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are a major source of water pollution and drinking water contamination because they concentrate enormous amounts of animal waste in relatively small areas. Animal waste is rich in phosphorus and nitrogen and can be a useful fertilizer when applied to crops at appropriate rates, but when overapplied to land or spilled and leaked from waste lagoons, these chemicals can enter groundwater, rivers and lakes, killing fish and other aquatic life and contaminating drinking water supplies. Animal waste has caused widespread water pollution: The 22 states that categorized specific types of agricultural pollution concluded that animal wastes pollute about 35,000 of the river miles they assessed. (EPA/USDA, 1998) Animal manure is a greater contributor than point sources (i.e., municipal or industrial discharges) to in-stream total nitrogen in 1,802 (88%) of the 2,056 watershed outlets in the U.S., based on a national modeling effort by the US Geological Survey. (EPA, 1998) In Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1993, Cryptosporidium contamination of public water supply caused more than 100 deaths and an estimated 403,000 illnesses. The source of the contamination was not confirmed, but runoff from cow manure is a suspected source. (EPA, 1998) In 1993, the LaGrange (Indiana) County Health Department identified a cluster of women living near a hog operation who experienced miscarriages after drinking water with high levels of nitrates from their private wells. (Centers for Disease Control, 1996) In Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri, which account for 36% of hog production, 20 spills in 1992 killed at least 55,000 fish. By 1996, the number of spills had doubled, resulting in 670,000 dead fish. (US Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1997) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that animal feedlots contributed to the impairment of 110 shellfish beds in 1995. (EPA, 1998) Blooms of toxic estuarine organisms, such as the dinoflagellate pfiesteria piscicida, are associated with nutrient over-enrichment. Since 1995, pfiesteria have killed more than a billion fish in the estuaries and coastal areas of North Carolina and the Maryland and Virginia tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. CAFOs contribute significant nitrogen and phosphorus to these waters. (EPA, 1998) A 1995 North Carolina State University study found severe seepage of nitrogen from more than half of the lagoons included in their survey. (U.S Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1997) A 1999 Iowa State University study conducted for the Iowa legislature found that more than 70% of lagoons examined were leaking faster than Iowa standards allow. (Melvin, 1999) Seventeen states have experienced groundwater contamination from livestock feedlots. (EPA, 1998) A North Carolina study of nearly 1,600 wells adjacent to hog and poultry operations showed that ten percent of the wells tested were contaminated with nitrates above the drinking water standard, and 34 percent were contaminated with some level of nitrates. (U.S Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1997) The Sierra Club advocates the following reforms to stop pollution from CAFOs Place a moratorium on new and expanding factory farms until all existing facilities have Clean Water Act permits and new pollution control rules are in place. Require factory farms to obtain individual, site-specific Clean Water Act permits, including comprehensive nutrient management plans, to provide nationally consistent protections. Mandate full public participation in all aspects of Clean Water Act permitting and enforcement. Ban new open-air manure lagoons and aerial spraying of liquid wastes and phase out existing lagoon/sprayfield operations. Place legal and financial responsibility for waste disposal and cleanup on the corporations that own the livestock animals. For more information about the Sierra Club's opposition to factory livestock production, contact your local Sierra Club Chapter. Sources Centers for Disease Control, "Spontaneous Abortions Possibly Related to Ingestion of Nitrate-Contaminated Well Water - LaGrange County, Indiana, 1991-1994, "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report", Vol.45, No.26. July 5, 1996. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture, Draft Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operation, September 11, 1998. Environmental Protection Agency. Preliminary Data Summary. Feedlots Point Source Category Study. December 31, 1998 Melvin, Stewart. Report to Iowa Legislative Committee. Earthen Waste Storage Structure Project (1997-98) and Water Quality Monitoring Project (1999). January 21, 1999 U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry. Report Compiled by the Minority Staff for Senator Tom Harkin. "Animal Waste Pollution in America: An Emerging National Problem. Environmental Risks of Livestock & Poultry Production." December, 1997. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club