The growing chicken farm development, particularly in the Potomac Headwaters near the big processing plant in Moorefield on the South Branch, still remains a problem. For several years now the West Virginia Departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture, and West Virginia University have sought to burn it, to tie it up in sawdust, to just spread it around as fertilizer, to liquefy it and spread it. Generally we have found there is just too much of it, even though it has been spread around three or four counties away.

The liquid solution has proved a disaster in Virginia and this failed "solution" is being suggested for West Virginia. The West Virginia Rivers Coalition notes the following problems with a Virginia installation of settling ponds. 1) The ponds reached capacity too quickly and overflowed. 2) The total suspended solids exceeded their limit. 3) Fields were sprayed prior to getting agency approval and submitting a "soil moisture monitoring plan," and failure to submit quarterly ground water reports. 4) Fields were sprayed with no approved schedule, without buffer areas, exceeding ammonia average and maximum limits and spray rates.

The same procedure has been advanced to solve West Virginia’s problem. It is a difficult one to manage. Much of the state’s money has been spent on it, but little of the chicken processing industries money where the responsibility lies. This problem remains and potable water quality remains degraded.