Feedlots -- Rural America's Sewer

Authors

Marilyn Lee Nardo

First Page

83

Abstract

Over one billion tons of animal waste is produced each year in the United States by animal feedlot operations (AFOs). In 1995 alone, 63.5 million gallons of manure spilled from AFOs. Manure spills poison rivers, lakes, and ponds, seep into groundwater, causing fishkills, human disease, and death. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, reports that AFOs are a primary factor in the impairment of forty percent of the nation's waterways. Despite these conditions, there are no federal standards for the storage, application, or management of animal waste. This Comment evaluates the existing regulation of AFOs under the Clean Water Act and proposes that new regulations and stricter enforcement of the current NVPDES program are necessary to protect public and environmental health from manure contamination.

Recommended Citation

Marilyn L. Nardo, Feedlots -- Rural America's Sewer, 6 Animal L. Rev. 83 (2000).
Available at: https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/alr/vol6/iss1/6