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Besides the nitrogen
issue, we have a problem in my county with excess levels of phosphorus in the
soil from the manure of some 125,000 head of dairy cattle. The plants can't use
it all, but benefit from the nitrogen and organic material from the manure. The
excess phosphorus washes off the land into our streams and lakes and causes
excessive growth of algae and lake weeds. We are known as the Four Lakes region
due to four large lakes around our main city, and are trying to improve their
water quality. For the last 2+ years, my main task has been to try to come up
with a better solution to this problem and it is a challenging issue.
We also invite any
comments on our work or other potential solutions. So far, we have not come up
with things that look particularly promising.
John Reindl,
Recycling Manager
Dane County, WI
Manure has become a
sticky subject. Regulators and environmental groups have taken
considerable interest in protecting surface and groundwater quality from the
runoff impacts of manure from dairies.
In California’s
central valley, the Water Board has new requirements for dairies that will be
phased in over the next five years. There will be a manifest system for
any manure sent offsite. If manure is reused onsite (applied to
agricultural fields), an elaborate calculation has to be made to determine if
it is being applied in agronomic proportions (more nitrogen/nutrients not
applied to lands than will be taken up by the specific
crop).
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/dairies/index.html
Ryan
Bailey
Sacramento
County
Business
Environmental Resource Center
baileyr@no.address
www.sacberc.org
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