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Draft CAFO requirements issued in Maryland


September 15, 2008  by  Marg Land

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Draft CAFO requirements issued in Maryland

The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has published a draft
outlining the state’s first ever regulations to require a discharge
permit for large poultry operations.

September 15, 2008, Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has published a draft outlining the state’s first ever regulations to require a discharge permit for large poultry operations.

The draft general permit outlines what controls are needed by producers to properly manage poultry litter in a bid to reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.

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Poultry operations with 100,000 square feet of chicken house capacity or more will be required to obtain a permit. Poultry operations with 75,000 to 99,000 square feet of chicken house capacity will be required to formally certify to the MDE they are meeting the same standards required by the permitted operations, including a comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP) or an updated NMP that is integrated with a soil conservation and water quality plan.

It’s expected the proposed permit, along with proposed regulations, would cover at least 200 poultry operations in Maryland and bring more than 50 percent of the state’s poultry operations under MDE regulation.

The permit would require an integrated soil conservation/water quality management plan, a NMP, would authorize water quality and management monitoring by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the University of Maryland, and would authorize inspection and enforcement of water quality problems by the MDE.

According to a report in the Washington Post, representatives of Maryland’s poultry business are not commenting on the regulations until they have read them.

The public is open to comment on the proposal. Formal hearings will be held:

 

  • November 10, 6 p.m., Guerrien Hall Auditorium, Wor-Wic Community College, Salisbury.
  • November 12, 6 p.m., First Floor Theatre, Todd Performing Arts Center, Chesapeake College, Wye Mills.
  • November 13, 11 a.m., City Hall Board Room, Frederick.


For more information, including a copy of the draft permit, draft regulations and a fact sheet, visit: http://www.mde.state.md.us/Permits/WaterManagementPermits/cafo.asp.

 

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