# Region III AFO/CAFO **Initiatives**

Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities

Committee September 30, 2010 David McGuigan, EPA

# Outline • Animal Agriculture and Bay Impacts • Three Priority Geographic Areas • Conclusions

# Animal Agriculture and Bay

Impacts

# Three Priority Areas • DELMARVA - Poultry • Lancaster – Dairy • Shenandoah – Dairy and Poulty

# EPA’s Goals • Make sure that facilities that need NPDES CAFO permits have them • Framework in place to ensure compliance with NPDES permit • Enhancement of State Agricultural Programs

# DELMARVA • Universe: Poultry • Objective: Ensure that poultry operations obtain the required permits and comply with them • Strategy: Multi -facetted – Universe Identification – Stewardship - Perdue – Inspection and Enforcement – Compliance Assistance - DPI • Result – Over 850 farms have applied for permit coverage • Future work ensuring compliance with Permit requirements

# DELMARVA • Partnership with Perdue – Training for growers and flock supervisors – Regular Assessments – Deviation Response 

## • Partnership with DPI – Sponsored out reach to the farm community – Three meetings with over a 1000 farms

# Conclusions • Flexibility is not always desirable - farmers wanted clear and understandable information and guidance • One - on - One interaction a powerful tool • Enrolling the support of industry is critical: Partnerships with DPI and Perdue

# Lancaster • Universe: Small Dairy and CAFO operations • Objective: Ensure compliance Federal and state requirements and evaluation of state program • Strategy: Targeted sub -watershed investigations and targeted inspections – Sub -watersheds targeted for surface and ground water contamination – Partnering with Conservation Districts, State, and Plain Sect Community

# Lancaster County has... • Highest number of impacted drinking water systems – One of two areas in EPA Region 3 with the highest nitrate pollution levels – Multiple systems with nitrate MCL violations and on treatment 

## • The highest number of agriculturally impaired stream reaches in PA’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed

# Overview of Watson Run • Watershed is 2.74 mi 2 

## • Listed in 2004 on Pennsylvania’s 303(d) List of impaired streams • Impaired due to: – Nutrients – Organic Enrichment/ Low Dissolved Oxygen – Siltation 

## • Source of impairments identified as agriculture24 19 6 20 4 12

13 23 10 8 25 22 5 1 17 7 14 3

15 16 9 11 18 21 Map of Watson Run with Unique Facility Identifiers

## Watson Run Hydrologic Connectivity

# Overview of Sites • 24 farms visited – 20 Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) • 2 Concentrated Animal Operations (CAOs) • 18 dairies; 1 pullet farm; 1 dairy/swine farm 

### – 20 with cropland; 4 lease out all cropland – 23 Plain Sect; 1 English – 19 Sampled Drinking Water

# Outreach and Partnerships • Close cooperation with the LCCD – Acted as the interpreter to the farm community 

## • Majority of Farms Plain Sect – Established Working Relationship with Bishops – Established Inspection Protocols – Leadership arranged inspection schedule – Farmers pres and post inspection

# Type of Farm Practices 17 4 1 18 20 2 19 15 3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Cover C ro ps No-till/ Low -till NoW inter Spreading Ma nure Storage > 4 m onths Re gular S oil Tes ting **Pe rc** **en ta**  **ge** % wi th % wi thout

# Chesapeake Bay BMPs

1 1 4 20 1 9 10 20 15 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 StreamFencing Riparian Buffers P-Based Nutrient Management

Cover Crops Manure Storage > 4 months **Pe rce**  **ntage** % with % with some % without

# PA Baseline Compliance*

*Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, Ti tle 25, Chapter 83, Chapter 91, Sections 91.33 through 91.36, and Chapter 102 Needs additional analysis 34 15 15 66 85 85 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Proper lyD esi gned, In stalled, Operated, a nd Ma in tai ned Ma nure St

orage NoD isch arges to Surfa ceo r Ground Water Ma nure Ma nagement fo r Env iro nmental Protec ti on PA Chapter1 02 Conservati on

Pl an **Per cent**  **age** % wi th Not appli ca ble % wi thout **Needs additional analysis**

# Watson Run • Next Steps – Schedule for E&S finished by July 1 – Manure Management Plans by September – Modeling on Pollutant Loads: Pre - inspection, Plan Implementation, Water Quality BMPs 

### • Next Steps – Discussion with Conservation Districts and State on improving compliance assurance program – Depending on findings of modeling study base program enhancements – Farm Community Drinking water is a concern

# Conclusions • Partnership with CD and Community Leaders critical to success • Lack of evalutions has lead to high non compliance rate and unlevel playing field. • CD role should be expanded to keep farmers out of harms way and to achieve water quality goals • Farm Community Drinking Water is a concern

# Muddy Run • Approximately 100 farms – Traditional inspection and follow- up 

### • Strategy – Farmers given an opportunity to sign up for required plans – Inspection priority to those who have not signed up 

### • Meetings have occurred with farmers • Inspections scheduled to start in December

# Shenandoah • Universe: Dairy and Poultry • Objectives: Evaluation of state program and compliance with federal and state requirements • Strategy: – Outreach to Stakeholders – Traditional enforcement response 

## • Inspections and Enforcement – Inspections conducted in May

# Shenandoah • Traditional Compliance Assurance Approach • Farm Selection Criteria – Combined operations – Water Quality 

## • 7 farms (dairy, turkey, beef, broilers) inspected

# Shenandoah • Findings – State VPA Program appears to be effective – 95% of Swine and 90% of Poultry under state or federal regulation – 10% of Dairy – Dairy issues were similar to Lancaster findings 

### • Next Steps – Discussions with state on addressing Program Gaps • Small Dairy should be in VPA program

# Conclusions • VPA’s Program has a high rate of compliance – Annual Inspection critical element 

## • Lack of dairy integration makes out reach difficult • VPA program should be expanded to small dairy

# Summary Conclusions • Inspection programs realize programmatic goals – Important component of reasonable assurance • Effective programs must be developed to deal with small dairy in the Bay Watershed • Partnership with industry and community leaders are important • Farm Community drinking water is a significant concern