Curb Factory Farm Pollution!

In West Virginia’s Potomac headwaters, factory farms are a major source of surface and ground water pollution. These operations ignore the health of our communities and threaten water resources that rural and urban communities depend upon. One-third of river sites tested in the Potomac headwaters exceed bacteria safety standards. Many stretches of the river are unsafe for recreation in the South Branch area, including those near Smoke Hole, the Trough, and Seneca Rocks. West Virginia has no program to regulate poultry pollution, which produces about 155,000 tons of manure a year.

The U.S. EPA and USDA are now taking public comments on a "Draft Unified National Strategy For Animal Feeding Operations (AFO’s)." This Draft Strategy is a plan for dealing with surface water pollution from AFO’s, including those in the Potomac region.

Comments are due January 19, 1999, so please write today!

ACTION -- Tell EPA and USDA that the Draft Strategy acknowledges important points about factory farms’ impact on water for drinking and recreation, but it needs to be stronger. Specifically, tell them that:

* There should be a moratorium on creating new factory farms until permits for existing facilities have been issued.

* Corporations should be responsible for paying the costs of waste disposal and cleanup generated by the chickens and turkeys they own.

* Level the playing field! Improve permitting standards by adding strict water quality monitoring requirements and tough enforcement against Clean Water Act violators. Also, put phosphorous standards in nutrient management plans, and assess all environmental impacts of AFO’s.

Questions? Contact: West Virginia Rivers Coaltion, 801 North Randolph Ave., Elkins, WV 26241 ph: 304/637-7201, fax: 304/637-4084, www.wvrivers.org.

Just copy, paste, print and mail this sample letter!

Denice C. Coleman
Program Analyst
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Attn: AFO, Box 2890
Washington, D.C. 20013-2890

Dear Ms. Coleman:

In West Virginia’s Potomac headwaters, factory poultry farms are polluting our drinking water, our streams, and our air. These operations ignore the health of our communities and threaten water resources that rural and urban communities depend upon. One-third of river sites tested in the Potomac headwaters exceed bacteria safety standards. Many stretches of the river are unsafe for recreation. West Virginia has no program to regulate poultry pollution, which produces about 155,000 tons of manure a year!

The EPA/USDA "Draft Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations (AFO’s)" must ensure that strong controls are placed upon these operations that are threatening our health. The Draft Strategy should take the following items into account:

1) A moratorium on Clean Water Act permits for new and expanding factory farms should be instituted until all existing facilities have effective permits in place and standards are upgraded.

2) Corporations should be responsible for paying the costs of waste disposal and cleanup generated by the animals they own.

3) Level the playing field! Local citizens should be permitted to participate fully in decisions allowing factory farms to locate in their community. Also, citizens should have the opportunity to help decide what pollution controls are needed on factory farms to protect their communities. Only individual, site-specific Clean Water Act permits can accomplish this, followed by strict water quality monitoring by livestock operators and tough enforcement against Clean Water Act violators.

4) Put phosphorous standards in nutrient management plans, and assess all environmental impacts of AFO’s.

5) Manure should be prevented from running off the land and polluting our streams and rivers. Our waters must be protected from poultry manure, as well. Chicken factories should be regulated under the Clean Water Act in the same fashion as other animal operations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,