By Ann Russell, Clean Water Program Manager. Published on p.6 of Cascadia Weekly, July 20th, 2016. This is unacceptable. As Puget
Sound’s degradation continues, recovery
efforts need drastic transformation.
A solution scaled to the
problem requires an increased commitment
from governing agencies
to implement, and enforce protective
measures—with backbone. The
waters of the state are shared by
us all, including the salmon, orcas,
and other native species, and must
be kept clean and healthy for fish,
farms, and people to thrive. The Washington State Department
of Ecology (DOE) is responsible for
ensuring that pollution from all industries
is regulated to protect water
quality. The DOE is now updating an
important permit that regulates pollution
from industrial agriculture. As a community with deep agricultural
roots and a growing local
food system, this issue hits close to
home. While it’s necessary to ensure
the health and viability of our local
farms, certain operations of an industrial
scale should be monitored
so that pollution can be addressed. The permit that is being updated
is critical—it authorizes industrial
agriculture operations that confine
animals to discharge pollution (manure)
into waters of the state —
and it sets limits and management practices for those discharges. Industrial agriculture is currently
one of the leading causes of fecal
coliform pollution to waterways
nationwide, and a major cause of
shellfish bed and swimming beach
closures in Washington state. Manure
is a source of nitrates, fecal
coliform, and other pollutants, and
industrial agriculture infrastructure
is often ill-equipped to handle the
waste produced by the animals in a
manner that protects waterways. The WSDA’s 2015 Quality Assurance
Monitoring Plan and other
reports have stated that there is a
correlation between dairy acreage
and concentration of fecal coliform
in rivers. Most livestock in Whatcom
County are dairy cows, and almost
all of our dairies are Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs),
defined by the EPA as animals confined
for more than 45 days per year
in an area that does not produce
vegetation. According to Washington
State Department of Agriculture
(WSDA), a typical dairy cow
produces 120 pounds of poop each
day, adding up to about 7 million
pounds of manure from dairy cows
in Whatcom County alone. From now through Aug. 17, Washington
state residents concerned
about the health of the Puget Sound
have the opportunity to learn about
and provide input on the Department
of Ecology’s draft CAFO General Discharge
Permit. The CAFO is one of
many pollution discharge permits
under the federal Clean Water Act
that allow discharges of pollutants
with conditions that reduce or prevent
pollution.
Most industries in Washington
state, including oil refineries, waste
water treatment plants, boatyards,
and most construction sites—are
required to have discharge permits. However, our state’s previous CAFO
permit expired in 2011, and today,
only 11 of 450 dairies in the state
operate under a permit.
CAFOs should be covered by a
permit that ensures they can manage
the manure, litter, and process
wastewater generated by the operation
in a manner that protects
water quality. But the draft permit
that has been proposed does not adequately
enforce federal clean water
regulations for industrial agriculture
operations or hold them accountable
for known violations. Among other
things, the CAFO permit should include
regular groundwater monitoring
and deep soil testing, so agriculture
operations can determine
whether manure is being applied at
appropriate rates for soil uptake,
or if fecal coliform bacteria and nitrates
from manure are entering our
surface and groundwater. Residents who value the Puget
Sound and its bounty can educate
themselves about fecal coliform
contamination and the draft CAFO
permit, submit a written comment
to Ecology, and attend the public
hearing at 6pm Tues., July 26 at
Whatcom Community College. The
public hearing is a great chance
to learn more about the CAFO
draft permit and how it could be
strengthened to better protect our
shared water resources. Now is the time for our community
to call upon the Department of
Ecology to strengthen and enforce
regulations that protect the waters
of the state. |
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