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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2002
Contacts:
Don Ostler, Director, Water Quality Division, (801) 538-6146
Cary Peterson, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Food, (801) 538-7103
(Salt Lake City, Utah) - Utah livestock producers are well prepared to comply with new rules enacted by EPA Monday to control water pollution from animal feeding operations.
"Early indications are that this new rule will not disrupt continuation of Utah's innovative strategy to effectively address manure management from our animal feeding operations," said Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
Utah has had some localized water pollution due to manure runoff from animal feeding operations. However, Utah initiated an innovative and highly effective strategy, which has become a national model, 18 months ago to improve manure management. The strategy involves pooling resources from several state and federal agencies and livestock producer groups to inventory over 3,000 operations and to help those with problems eliminate polluted runoff.
"This is a tremendous number of operations for a state to assess in a short period of time, and it is only possible due to a unique partnership between agencies and the agriculture industry," said Don Ostler, director of the Utah Division of Water Quality.
This cooperative partnership is based on Governor Leavitt's Enlibra principles, which recognize the need to meet national standards with flexibility and locally driven solutions. As a result of the strategy, Utah livestock producers are far ahead of the game in complying with EPA's new rule. In addition, the Utah strategy has helped shape the new federal rules.
"Our Utah livestock producers have been exemplary in leading these changes nationally," said Utah Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Cary Peterson. "Our goal is to reduce water pollution while sustaining a viable livestock industry. We are well positioned to do this."
The largest operations have all been permitted, and small- and medium-sized operations are being given assistance and a short period of time to voluntarily eliminate runoff problems and thus avoid the need to obtain a permit. By spring 2003, over 2,000 operations will have been inventoried and assessed.
Permits require that manure runoff and discharges be controlled and that manure applied to the land is done in a manner to avoid water pollution. The number of operations requiring permits to control runoff will increase nationwide from about 4,500 to approximately 15,500. According to EPA, the rule allows flexibility and relies heavily on education, technical assistance, incentives and USDA funding.
The 2001 Utah Legislature authorized the state's first manure management grants. Administered by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, the grants are for owners of animal feeding operations to make improvements required by EPA and USDA to be in compliance with new water quality regulations.
The state appropriation of $340,000 was combined with $125,000 from the USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service to help implement the state's animal feeding operation strategy. A total of 40 projects have been undertaken in the past 18 months using these and other funds.
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