Murky Waters:
Industrial Dairies and the Failure to Regulate
A Texas Water Sentinels Campaign report entitled "Murky Waters: Industrial Dairies and the Failure to Regulate," details the proliferation of the dairy industry in the Bosque and Leon River watersheds of North Central Texas, the lack of regulation and enforcement by the state environmental agency, and the subsequent water quality pollution that has resulted.
The report describes the evolution of the dairy industry in this area from pastoral family farms to large-scale industrial dairy CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), the accommodating regulatory environment that facilitated the rapid expansion of the industry, the numerous violations of dairy operations and the continued lack of regulation and enforcement that has led to the impairment of these streams and contaminated public drinking water supplies in Lake Waco and Lake Belton, which serve over 400,000 people.
"Murky Waters" highlights some of the many violations at individual dairy operations, and presents specific enforcement numbers that demonstrate the limited regulatory authority exercised by the state agency with oversight of the industry, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The report also includes recommendations on strategies to try and restore water quality in these watersheds and protect the drinking water supplies of cities downstream.
Download "Murky Waters: Industrial Dairies and the Failure to Regulate" here. (9mb PDF file)
Check out the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program here.
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