A34-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, February 12, 2000
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Need NPDES Permits
JAYNE SEBRIGHT
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
If you own more than 300
cows, 2,500 hogs, or 40,000
chickens, you may need to apply
for a National Pollution Dis
charge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit through the
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection.
These NPDES permits were
mandated in February 1999 by
the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection. They
assure that farmers comply with
the concentrated animal feeding
operation (CAFO) requirements
of the federal Clean Water Act.
Farmers have a three-year
phase-in period to receive their
permit. Any new operations
meeting the requirements
should apply for the NPDES
permit prior to beginning to op
erate. The goal of the NPDES
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program is to prevent the opera
tion from polluting Pennsylva
nia’s streams and water supply.
Any operation with more than
1,000 animal units, referred to
as a concentrated animal feed
ing operation (CAFO), is re
quired to apply for an individual
NPDES permit. Operations with
300 to 1,000 animal units are eli
gible for a general NPDES
permit. Farms with 300 to 1,000
animal units that are located in
special protection watersheds
must receive an individual
permit because of the higher risk
for them to pollute water
sources.
An animal unit or animal
equivalent unit (AEU) is equal
to 1,000 pounds of body weight.
The requirements between the
general and individual permits
vary to take into account both
the operation’s size and its po
tential to have an adverse
impact on water quality.
“Very few farmers have actu
ally applied for the permits,”
said Roger Musselman, chief of
permit section for the water
management program, south
central region of the Pennsylva
nia Department of
Environmental Protection.
Musselman encourages farm
ers to contact their county con
servation office to find out if
they need to apply for an
NPDES permit. “The NPDES
program ties in with the nutrient
management act,” said Mussel
man.
Under the Nutrient Manage
ment Act, any farmer with more
than two animal units per acre
should have a nutrient manage
ment plan approved by the
county conservation district. Ac
cording to Kevin McGonigal,
Nutrient Management Techni
cian for Adams County Conser
vation District, the deadline to
apply for nutrient management
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plans was October 1998.
“Most farms that needed nu
trient management plans have
either already had their plan ap
proved or are working on devel
oping a plan,” said McGonigal.
The number of animal units
on a farm should be identified in
the nutrient management plan.
“Once a farmer identifies the
number of animal units on their
farm, that should indicate
whether or not they need a
NPDES permit,” said Mussel
man.
The Department of Environ
mental Protection is counting on
the conservation districts that
approve nutrient management
plans to alert farmers to get
NPDES and other permits they
need.
“The problem is we don’t
have any idea how many con
centrated animal feeding opera
tions (CAFO) exist in
Pennsylvania,” said Musselman.
“I suspect there are quite a few,
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but it is really up to the operator
to identify themselves and apply
for the permits.”
According to Musselman, the
Department of Environmental
Protection will eventually locate
the CAFOs that exist in Penn
sylvania. But the NPDES pro
gram is still new to the
department. In fact, Pennsylva
nia is one of the first states to
have initiated a NPDES pro
gram to guarantee water quality.
The federal Environmental
Protection Agency is reviewing
Pennsylvania’s general NPDES
permit. Since Pennsylvania is a
delegated state, it can establish
its own permits. However the
EPA must approve them.
“One thing our organization
does is respond to complaints,”
said Musselman. “Once we
receive a complaint about a con
centrated animal feeding opera
tion, we can make sure that
operation complies with the nec-
TTurn to Page A 39)
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