Regulating the land application of manure from animal production facilities in the USA

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence J. Centner
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Production Facilities

Water pollution from the land application of manure has been cited as an issue that needs to be addressed. Judicial challenges have forced the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt additional controls governing concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). State agencies have also been directed to do more to minimize the risk of pollution from animal production. In developing appropriate controls, regulatory agencies have distinguished animal production facilities based on size and on whether they discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Four categories of animal producers have been identified based on different requirements addressing the land application of manure. The expenses of regulatory requirements for agriculture suggest that other avenues should be explored to enhance sustainable production and reduce water pollution. The identification of polluters, implementation efforts, enforcement issues and educational endeavors could be augmented to address contamination problems. Finding ways for agricultural groups to cooperate with the EPA and for states to implement total maximum daily load requirements might also be effective in improving water quality. To address the land application of manure, the goal should be to eliminate substandard land application practices that cause too many pollutants to enter surface waters rather than simply imposing additional regulations.

A comparative analysis: storm water pollution policy in California, USA and Victoria, Australia

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 311-317
Author(s):  
X. Swamikannu ◽  
D. Radulescu ◽  
R. Young ◽  
R. Allison
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
The United States ◽  
Storm Water ◽  
Discharge Rates ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Receiving Waters

Urban drainage systems historically were developed on principles of hydraulic capacity for the transport of storm water to reduce the risk of flooding. However, with urbanization the percent of impervious surfaces increases dramatically resulting in increased flood volumes, peak discharge rates, velocities and duration, and a significant increase in pollutant loads. Storm water and urban runoff are the leading causes of the impairment of receiving waters and their beneficial uses in Australia and the United States today. Strict environmental and technology controls on wastewater treatment facilities and industry for more than three decades have ensured that these sources are less significant today as the cause of impairment of receiving waters. This paper compares the approach undertaken by the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria for the Melbourne metropolitan area with the approach implemented by the California Environmental Protection Agency for the Los Angeles area to control storm water pollution. Both these communities are largely similar in population size and the extent of urbanization. The authors present an analysis of the different approaches contrasting Australia with the USA, comment on their comparative success, and discuss the relevance of the two experiences for developed and developing nations in the context of environmental policy making to control storm water and urban runoff pollution.

scholarly journals Estrogens: Properties, behaviors, and fate in dairy manure-amended soils

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne T. Pollard ◽  
Matthew J. Morra
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Business Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
Soil Environment ◽  
Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
Animal Feeding

In 2012 there were 63% fewer dairies in the United States than there were in 1997 as a result of conglomeration of the dairy industry into concentrated animal feeding operations at the expense of smaller farms. Today, 60% of all milk produced in the United States comes from 5% of the nation’s dairies (operations with ≥ 500 cows). Concentrated animal feeding operations are touted as economically efficient agricultural business models, hailed for their increased milk yields. Yet, with an average daily manure production of over 27 000 kg for a 500-head dairy farm, manure storage and disposal are serious management and environmental concerns. A common economical mode of manure disposal is application to nearby agricultural fields. However, a major concern with land application of dairy manure is the fate of manure-borne hormones, compounds considered chemicals of emerging concern, and the potential threat these hormones pose to humans and the environment. The fate of these chemicals in the soil environment is complicated by multiple edaphic variables including pH, mineralogy, organic matter, microbial activity, and redox status. Estrogens are sorbed by soil organic matter and transformed to nonbioactive, highly soluble conjugated forms or to metabolites that exhibit yet additional properties distinct from their parent compounds. However, deconjugation frequently occurs, regenerating endocrine-disrupting free estrogen compounds. It is challenging to fully understand the behavior and predict the fate of estrogenic compounds from dairy manure in soils because of variable and complex interactions with soil factors, as well as possible interactions among the different chemicals of emerging concern. This review focuses on the behavior of naturally occurring estrogen hormones present in dairy manure in the soil environment. Heightened understanding of the fate of these compounds in soil will enhance our ability to reduce their potential risks.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in processed yard trash

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 825-830
Author(s):  
Ying Guo ◽  
Steven J Laux ◽  
Melissa Burdier ◽  
Peng Gao ◽  
Lena Q Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Residential Settings ◽  
Residential Neighborhood ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Management Cycle ◽  
Current Risk

This work examines polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in yard trash at various stages of the yard trash management cycle of collection, stockpiling, grinding and screening into mulch, and composting. Total extractable PAH concentrations were measured in yard trash at various management stages from 10 locations in Florida. The concentrations of 16 PAH compounds in processed yard trash ranged from 0.38 to 14 mg kg-1. PAH concentrations were detected in vegetative material harvested from a residential neighborhood, but were below the United States Environmental Protection Agency residential regional screening levels (RSLs). PAH concentrations near or above the RSLs were common in both unprocessed and processed yard trash collected at waste management facilities. PAH concentrations were amongst the highest in newly ground yard trash samples and were amongst the lowest in composted yard trash samples. These findings are important because land application of some waste materials, such as construction and demolition debris fines and street sweepings, are sometimes limited due to PAH. If processed yard trash, which is commonly land applied in residential settings, possesses similar PAH concentrations, evaluation of current risk assessment practices for land-applied wastes may require further examination.

At the Expense of the Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Reid Calhoun ◽  
Kristen K. Cecala
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Hog Production ◽  
Economic Decisions ◽  
Hog Farms ◽  
Business Entities

North Carolina is the second largest pork producer in the United States where 10 million hogs are raised annually resulting in 10 billion gallons of waste. Environmental risks, including the contamination of ground and surface water contamination, exist when the amount of nutrients in animal waste exceeds the assimilative capacity of available farmlands. This case study introduces students to the environmental impact of hog production associated with concentrated animal feeding operations and the externalized costs of industrial farms on freshwater and coastal ecosystems. A particular focus is on factors related to the location, governance, and monitoring of these industrial farms. The case engages with the long-standing challenge of how to better align economic development with environmental protection. The case allows students to explore the competing motivations of a diverse group of stakeholders and appreciate the challenges faced when private economic decisions made by business entities move into the public realm due to threats to the health and safety of the public and environment. Students should gain insight into the economic and regulatory factors that contributed to the proliferation of large, industrialized hog farms in North Carolina and how these same factors impact the development and implementation of solutions to mitigate environmental risk.

scholarly journals RESPONSE TO THE ESSO BAYWAY OIL SPILL

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 409-412
Author(s):  
Robert J. Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Public Reaction ◽  
Neches River

ABSTRACT The 50,000 dwt tanker Esso Bayway punctured a hole in its bottom on January 28, 1979, spilling 6,500 barrels (bbl) of Light Arabian crude oil into the Neches River near Port Arthur, Texas. Oil impacted 3 miles (mi) of the river, adjacent bayous, and an environmentally sensitive salt marsh. This paper describes the response to the spill by the Exxon Company, U.S.A., Marine Department. Several contractors using a variety of cleanup methods for collection and recovery of the oil were used during the 30-day operation. The preplanned implementation of an emergency response by an Exxon team of managers, supervisors, scientists, public affairs advisors, claims agents, accountants, and communications experts to coordinate the cleanup operation is discussed. In addition to the Exxon response team, scientists from academia were retained to provide guidance in the assessment of any potential environmental impacts. The United States Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), acting as the Scientific Support Coordinator, and state agencies also participated in the cleanup operation. Cleanup was completed in 4 weeks at a cost of $1.5 million with minimum private claims, insignificant environmental damage, and positive media coverage and public reaction. This paper describes the efforts that obtained these results.

Generalization and formalization of the USEPA procedure for design of treated wastewater aquifer recharge basins: I. Theoretical development

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamadi Kallali ◽  
Mitsuo Yoshida ◽  
Jamila Tarhouni ◽  
Naceur Jedidi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Method Of Calculation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Recharge Rates

Groundwater is vulnerable to overdraft and depletion, especially in relatively dry regions where natural recharge rates are very low and groundwater is the main source of water. Artificial recharge of groundwater with treated wastewater has been widely adopted as a technique to replenish the overdraft aquifers. Indeed, in the USA, the technique has been practised for a long time. In 1981, a design procedure manual was developed for practitioners by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It was updated in 1984 and lastly in 2006. However, the design procedure has not been fully generalized for the different situations and has not been fully formalized in order to allow its automated implementation on calculation software (i.e. spreadsheet). Therefore, in this paper we formalized and generalized the USEPA design procedure to achieve an automated iterative method of calculation which can be easily implemented in a spreadsheet.

scholarly journals European Starlings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jeffrey Homan ◽  
Ron J. Johnson ◽  
James R. Thiele ◽  
George M. Linz
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
The United States ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Central Park ◽  
Animal Feeding Operations ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Migratory Bird Treaty Act

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris, Figure 1)are an invasive species in the United States. The first recorded release of the birds was in 1890 in New York City’s Central Park. Because starlings easily adapt to a variety of habitats, nest sites and food sources, the birds spread quickly across the country. Today, there are about 150 million starlings in North America. Conflicts between people and starlings occur mostly in agricultural settings. Starlings damage apples, blueberries, cherries, figs, grapes, peaches, and strawberries. Starlings gather at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) during late fall and winter. Starlings also cause human health problem, airplane hazards, and nuisance problems. European starlings are not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

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