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Saturday, September 19, 2009

Environment - "Health Ills Abound as Farm Runoff Fouls Wells"

Continuing its series on water pollution, the NY Times published a front-page story Sept. 17 headed "Health Ills Abound as Farm Runoff Fouls Wells." It begins:

MORRISON, Wis. — All it took was an early thaw for the drinking water here to become unsafe.

There are 41,000 dairy cows in Brown County, which includes Morrison, and they produce more than 260 million gallons of manure each year, much of which is spread on nearby grain fields. Other farmers receive fees to cover their land with slaughterhouse waste and treated sewage.

In measured amounts, that waste acts as fertilizer. But if the amounts are excessive, bacteria and chemicals can flow into the ground and contaminate residents’ tap water.

In Morrison, more than 100 wells were polluted by agricultural runoff within a few months, according to local officials. As parasites and bacteria seeped into drinking water, residents suffered from chronic diarrhea, stomach illnesses and severe ear infections. * * *

Yet runoff from all but the largest farms is essentially unregulated by many of the federal laws intended to prevent pollution and protect drinking water sources. The Clean Water Act of 1972 largely regulates only chemicals or contaminants that move through pipes or ditches, which means it does not typically apply to waste that is sprayed on a field and seeps into groundwater.

As a result, many of the agricultural pollutants that contaminate drinking water sources are often subject only to state or county regulations. And those laws have failed to protect some residents living nearby.

See also this ILB entry from July 23, 2009 for a recent COA opinion re an Indiana "water utility fighting a federal discharge permit for an 8,000-head confined feeding operation."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 19, 2009 10:05 AM
Posted to Environment | Ind. App.Ct. Decisions