Background There has been a steady increase in hog production in Colorado since 1990 due, in part, to an influx of large, commercial hog facilities. Although Colorado does not keep records on the number of hog facilities in the state, a majority are located in eastern Colorado. This proposal deals primarily with potential water contamination and odor issues resulting from manure and wastewater produced by large numbers of hogs. Manure and wastewater may then be recycled and used by farmers to fertilize crops. However, if too much waste is applied to land, it may seep through the soil and contaminate the ground water.
Contaminated water can be dangerous to humans and animals under certain circumstances.
Odor from hog waste is emitted from lagoons and sometimes when waste is being sprayed onto land as fertilizer. Regulation of large hog farms. The federal government has general water quality regulations, but no specific requirements for constructing large hog facilities or for managing the animal waste produced at these facilities. Few federal regulations protecting ground water exist and those that do are not applicable to the ground water in eastern Colorado. The state has regulations for ground water quality, the construction of waste storage lagoons at large hog facilities and the application of waste from these facilities to land in Colorado.