Neb. Rev. Stat. § 54-2417 — NE Code / Chapter 54 / Section 54-2417
54-2417
Status: in_force

For purposes of the Livestock Waste Management Act:

(1) Animal feeding operation means a location where beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, swine, sheep, poultry, or other livestock have been, are, or will be stabled or confined and fed or maintained for a total of forty-five days or more in any twelve-month period and crops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the location. Two or more animal feeding operations under common ownership are deemed to be a single animal feeding operation if they are adjacent to each other or if they utilize a common area or system for the disposal of livestock waste. Animal feeding operation does not include aquaculture as defined in section 2-3804.01 ;

(2) Best management practices means schedules of activities, prohibitions, maintenance procedures, and other management practices found to be the most effective methods based on the best available technology achievable for specific sites to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants to waters of the state and control odor where appropriate. Best management practices also includes operating procedures and practices to control site runoff, spillage, leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage;

(3) Construct means the initiation of physical onsite activities;

(4) Construction and operating permit means the state permit to construct and operate a livestock waste control facility, including conditions imposed on the livestock waste control facility and the associated animal feeding operation;

(5) Construction approval means an approval issued prior to December 1, 2006, by the department allowing construction of a livestock waste control facility;

(6) Council means the Environmental Quality Council;

(7) Department means the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment;

(8) Discharge means the spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping of pollutants into any waters of the state or in a place which will likely reach waters of the state;

(9) Existing livestock waste control facility means a livestock waste control facility in existence prior to April 15, 1998, that does not hold a permit and which has requested an inspection prior to January 1, 2000;

(10) Livestock waste control facility means any structure or combination of structures utilized to control livestock waste at an animal feeding operation until it can be used, recycled, or disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner. Such structures include, but are not limited to, diversion terraces, holding ponds, debris basins, liquid manure storage pits, lagoons, and other such devices utilized to control livestock waste;

(11) Major modification means an expansion or increase to the lot area or feeding area; change in the location of the animal feeding operation; change in the methods of waste treatment, waste storage, or land application of waste; increase in the number of animals; change in animal species; or change in the size or location of the livestock waste control facility;

(12) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit means either a general permit or an individual permit issued by the department pursuant to subsection (11) of section 81-1505 . A general permit authorizes categories of disposal practices or livestock waste control facilities and covers a geographic area corresponding to existing geographic or political boundaries, though it may exclude specified areas from coverage. General permits are limited to the same or similar types of animal feeding operations or livestock waste control facilities which require the same or similar monitoring and, in the opinion of the Director of Water, Energy, and Environment, are more appropriately controlled under a general permit than under an individual permit;

(13) New animal feeding operation means an animal feeding operation constructed after July 16, 2004;

(14) New livestock waste control facility means any livestock waste control facility for which a construction permit, an operating permit, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, a construction approval, or a construction and operating permit, or an application therefor, is submitted on or after April 15, 1998;

(15) Operating permit means a permit issued prior to December 1, 2006, by the department after the completion of the livestock waste control facility in accordance with the construction approval and the submittal of a completed certification form to the department;

(16) Person has the same meaning as in section 81-1502 ; and

(17) Waters of the state has the same meaning as in section 81-1502 .

Laws 1998, LB 1209, § 2;

Laws 1999, LB 870, § 5;

R.S.Supp.,2002, § 54-2402;

Laws 2004, LB 916, § 6;

Laws 2006, LB 975, § 2;

Laws 2009, LB56, § 1;

Laws 2019, LB302, § 57;

Laws 2025, LB317, § 311.

By enacting legislation that made it unlawful to operate an animal feeding operation without having an approved livestock waste control facility, the Legislature acknowledged that livestock waste is a potentially harmful substance that must be handled properly. Butler County Dairy v. Butler County, 285 Neb. 408, 827 N.W.2d 267 (2013).

By enacting legislation that made it unlawful to operate an animal feeding operation without having an approved livestock waste control facility, the Legislature acknowledged that livestock waste is a potentially harmful substance that must be handled properly. Butler County Dairy v. Butler County, 285 Neb. 408, 827 N.W.2d 267 (2013).