Careful handling of wastes from animal production makes it possible to receive some benefit from these wastes. Improperly managed wastes can contribute nutrients and disease-causing organisms to both surface water and groundwater. Nitrate can also affect adults, but the evidence is much less certain.
Young livestock are also susceptible to health problems from high nitrate-N levels.
Fecal and coliform bacteria in livestock waste can contaminate groundwater, causing such infectious disease as dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis. Odors from animal production or the application of animal wastes can cause problems with neighbors and result in a negative social environment for agriculture. It will rank your activities according to how they might affect the groundwater that provides your drinking water supplies. It will help you determine which of your practices are reasonably safe and effective, and which practices might require some modification to better protect your drinking water. Follow the directions below.