Either way, the effects are severe. For instance, water quality across the country is threatened by phosphorus and nitrogen, two nutrients present in animal wastes. In excessive amounts, nutrients often cause an explosion of algae that robs water of oxygen, killing aquatic life. One such algae type, Pfiesteria piscicida , has been implicated in the death of more than one billion fish in coastal waters in North Carolina. Manure can also contain traces of salt and heavy metals, which can end up in bodies of water and accumulate in the sediment, concentrating as they move up the food chain.
Many factory farms use groundwater for cleaning, cooling and providing drinking water.
Better alternatives exist Practical remedies to these problems do exist. Factory farms are industrial facilities and should be regulated accordingly. They should be required to obtain permits, monitor water quality and pay for cleaning up and disposing of their wastes. Public awareness and participation. Local governments and residents must have a say in whether to allow factory farms in their communities, and they should be armed with this information.