Tell the EPA: Factory farms need to stop polluting our rivers with liquid manure

It's a crappy situation. Large-scale factory farms produce tons of manure. And all too often, manure from factory farms raising cows or pigs winds up in our rivers, lakes and streams.

And yet two-thirds of America's corporate animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have no oversight from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Tell the EPA: Factory farms need to stop polluting our rivers with liquid manure.

Subject: Factory farms need to stop polluting our rivers with liquid manure

Your Letter:

The EPA should improve its oversight of water pollution from industrial-scale concentrated animal feeding operations, commonly known as Large CAFOs. Large-scale farms produce tons of manure. And all too often, manure from factory farms raising cows or pigs winds up in our rivers, lakes and streams.

According to the EPA, there are more than 21,000 Large CAFOs nationwide. You recognize that many CAFOs discharge water pollution, but fewer than 6,300 Large CAFOs hold permits authorizing them to discharge pollution under federal law.

A loophole is allowing CAFOs to avoid getting a permit, but they are still polluting our rivers. For factory farms that store the waste in manure lagoons, all it takes is a strong enough storm to wash that manure into nearby rivers. Other factory farms spread liquid manure on cropland, where it runs off into our rivers.

The EPA should require pollution permits from all large hog and dairy operations (liquid manure), unless they prove that their manure does not flow into waterways.

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