CAFO: Environmental Regulations

1
CAFO Environmental Regulations

• Peter Wright, Senior Extension Associate
  PRO-DAIRY
• Department of Biological and Environmental
  Engineering, Cornell University

2
EPAs Outlook

• More than 75 of water pollution today is from
  non-point sources
• More than 50 of non-point pollution is from
  Agriculture
• More than 50 of agricultural non-point pollution
  is from animal agriculture
• EPA has started to look very hard at animal
  agriculture

3
(No Transcript)
4
EPA

• Pushing States to implement Clean Water Act
  (1972)

5
EPA

• In other States
• Inspections
• Fines
• Jail time

6
EPA

• New Final Regulations 12/15/02
• Size
• Timeline
• Who
• Nutrient Management Plans

7
Why did EPA revise the CAFO regulations?

• Address water quality problems
• Update the 25-year old regulations
• Improve CAFO Program Implementation
• Address a court order

8
CAFO Rule Guiding Principles

• Simplify and clarify
• Flexibility for States
• Promote manure management practices
• Complement USDA efforts
• Promote new technologies
• Emphasis on large
• Foster voluntary efforts for small
• Consistency with core NPDES

9
CAFO Rule History

• CWA CAFOs are point sources
• 1974/1976 CAFO regulations
• EPA/USDA Unified National Strategy for AFOs
  1999
• Proposed Rule 2000
• 13,000 public comments
• Final Rule (NPDES and ELG (Effluent Limitation
  Guidelines) signed December 15, 2002

10
Major Rule Elements

• All Large Operations Must Apply
• No potential to discharge determination
• Effluent Limitation Guideline (ELG)
• No Discharge
• Land Application Requirements (N and P)
• Alternative Performance Standards
• Nutrient Management Plan Required
• Implement by December 2006
• Annual Report Required

11
Key definitions

• Animal Feeding Operation
• Confines animals for 45 days in 12 months
• Sustains no vegetation in confinement area
• While animals are there
• Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
• Large
• Medium
• Stream running through confinement area
• Man-made conveyance to surface water
• Dont discharge to state waters during 25 year 24
  hour storm

12
25 year 24 hour rainfall
13
Large CAFO Thresholds
14
Medium CAFOs Thresholds
15
Other Final Rule Changes

• ELG specifies best management practices
• Field specific assessment for N and P transport
• Manure and soil sampling
• Setback, vegetative buffer, or equivalent
  practices
• Alternative Performance Standards
• State Technical Standards for Nutrient Management

16
Other Final Rule Changes

• New permitting thresholds for immature swine,
  heifer, and some poultry operations
• Eliminates animal units and mixed animal
  calculation
• Manure transfer recordkeeping
• Annual report

17
Nutrient Management Plan Elements

• Adequate storage
• Mortality management
• Divert clean water
• Prevent direct contact
• Proper chemical handling

• Site-specific conservation practices
• Manure/soil testing
• Land application
• Records and documentation

18
Annual Report Requirements

• Number/type of animals
• Amount of manure/wastewater generated
• Amount of manure/wastewater transferred
• Land application acres covered by nutrient
  management plan
• Land application acres used in previous 12 months
  
• Summary of production area discharges
• Indicate whether NMP was developed by certified
  planner
• Schedule of BMP implementation

19
What proposals were not adopted?

• Mandatory co-permitting requirements
• Mandatory ground water requirements
• Required use of certified nutrient management
  planners
• Certification from persons receiving CAFO manure
• Land application timing restrictions

20
State Flexibility

• Flexibility to address medium and small
  operations
• Permitting Approach
• Individual, General, Watershed-based
• Alternative Performance Standards
• State Technical Standards and Nutrient Management

21
State Flexibility

• level playing field
• Competitiveness
• Minimum requirements

22
State Regulations Vary

• Regulatory approaches used
• Definitions of CAFOs
• Use of general vs individual permits
• Specific conditions farms must meet

23
NYS DEC outlook

• Driven by need to protect farms from citizens
  law suits
• Formed CAFO Work group in 1995
• First general permit issued in 1999

24
NYS DEC outlook

• Of the priority watershed lists agriculture is
  the largest identified source for lakes. (20)
• Agriculture is second to acid rain in river
  segments (13)
• Compliance vs. Enforcement
• Inspections
• Conform to EPA schedule

25
Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM)

• A roadmap of agricultural
• environmental policies and programs in
• New York State

26
Agricultural Environmental Management
Coordinate Funding
Coordinate Science Policy
Framework for Planning
State Local Teams
AEM Planner Certification
Education and Outreach
AEM Tiered Process
Planner Review
Tier I Initial Questionnaire
Water Quality Symposium
AEM Workshops
Planner Certification
Tier II On-farm Assessment
Tier IIIA Simple Nutrient Management Plan
LPES for NYS
Planner Updates
AEM Web Site and List-serve
Tier IIIB Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan
Tier IIIC Total Resource Management Plan
(SWAPAH)
Tier IV Plan Implementation
Tier V Evaluation
27
Clean Water Act (CWA)
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments
(CZARA)
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES)
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL)
Federal Source Water Assessment and Protection
(SWAP)
Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR)
Ground Water Treatment Rule (GWTR)
Non Point Source (NPS) SE 6219
Priority Waterbodies List (PWL)
EPA Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) Strategy
State Coastal NPS Program
NYS Dept. of Health (DOH) SWAP
NYS Public Health Law NYC
Watershed
Skaneateles Lake Watershed
Point Source (PS)
NPS
State Pollution Discharge Elimination System
(SPDES)
Watershed TMDLs (303d List)
Watershed Restoration and Protection action
Strategies (WRAPS)
State Soil Water Conservation Committee (Ag
Mkts, CU, CDEA, DEC, DOH, DOS, ESF, NYS Grange,
NRCS, NYACD, Farm Bureau)
Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM)
USDA Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Local CWQCCs, SWCDs, CCE, Health Depts., Ag.
Business, Farmers
State Ag NPS Grants
Federal
State
Local
28
CAFO Requirements in NY

• Notice of Intent
• All new farms 30 days before
• Expanding farms 30 days before
• Existing should be in

29
CAFO Requirements in NY

• Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP)
• Follow Natural Resources Conservation Service
  (NRCS) Standards

30
CAFO Requirements in NY

• Plans for Large CAFOs should be in
• 137/137
• Plans for Medium CAFOs been extended to June 30,
  2004
• 204/517
• Updated yearly

31
CAFO Requirements in NY (New Permit)

• General permit from 6/2004 to 6/2009
• New CAFO Sizes
• Timeline

32
CAFO Requirements in NY (New Permit)

• Large CAFOs implement all practices by
  12/31/2006
• Medium CAFOs Practice completion schedule
• Management practices by 10/1/2007
• Priority practices by 10/1/2008
• All practices by 6/30/2009
• Steady implementation schedule
• Notice of Intent with CNMP

33
CAFO Requirements in NY (New Permit)

• Spill reporting Cause deposition, substantial
  visible contrast, or impact fish, etc.
• Annual reports
• Large CAFOs
• OM records

34
(No Transcript)
35
CNMP

• 130 Planners conditionally certified
• Certified Crop Advisors (CCA)
• NRCS modules
• One week training course
• 21 have at least one plan reviewed
• Certified Planners (3 plans reviewed)
• Private (21)
• Agencies (6)
• NRCS Job approval (30)

36
CNMP

• Nutrient Management Plan (NMP)
• Based on P index or N index
• Will discourage spreading
• On saturated ground
• Close to water
• In fall and winter
• Use Best Management Practices (BMP)

37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
Costs

• Vary Widely
• Planner
• 2,000 - 20,000
• Implementation
• 4,000 - 1,000,000
• Average? 150,000
• NY total for CAFO 100 million

43
Costs

• Operation and Maintenance Costs
• Winners
• Losers

44
NY Non Point Source funding

• Protect Water supplies
• Use AEM
• 10 million
• Timing varies and amount varies

45
EQIP

• Environmental Quality Incentive Program
• 10 million
• Rules will change
• Was up to 450,000 per farm
• 75 Cost share

46
EQIP

• National Priorities
• Water Quality
• Air Quality
• Livestock
• Endangered or threatened Species
• 50 cost sharing recommended
• Get on the list.

47
NYSERDA

• Energy
• Environment
• Economics
• Anaerobic Digestion
• Composting
• Incorporation of Manure
• Pathogen Control
• Odor Control
• Nutrients

48
NYSERDA

• Combined Heat and Power
• 10 M
• 4M innovative
• 6M underutilized
• food drying, compost drying
• Complex application

49
NYSERDA

• Innovative Agriculture
• 1 million
• Application easier
• 250K max. 50cost share

50
NYSERDA

• Innovative Processing
• 2.75 million
• By-Product production

51
Conclusions

• Animal Agriculture does affect the environment
• There are opportunities to control that impact
• There are potential Win Win solutions
• More research is needed

52
Advice

• Evaluate your farm for obvious pollution
  potential
• Concentrated Sources
• AEM worksheets
• Prepare a Nutrient Management Plan
• Certified CNMP Planner

53
Advice

• Determine storage needs
• Investigate the soils
• Professional Engineer or NRCS
• Plan for odor control
• Plan for phosphorous balance

54
Questions?