November 17, 2009,
Seattle, WA – The public is encouraged to take a close look at a new proposed
Clean Water Act permit that would affect animal feeding operations in Idaho.
November 17, 2009,
Seattle, WA – The public is encouraged to take a close look at a new proposed
Clean Water Act permit that would affect animal feeding operations in Idaho.
If enacted as proposed,
this permit, issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will regulate
discharges to surface waters from many Idaho feedlots, including those on
tribal lands.
The new National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Discharge Permit has the
potential to affect many Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). An
NPDES general permit is required by the Clean Water Act for CAFO facilities
that discharge or propose to discharge manure, litter, or process waste water
into streams, lakes or other surface waters.
The general permit would
allow a CAFO operator to discharge to surface waters only if they are in
compliance with the general permit.
Changes from the current
regulations would affect:
• Production areas –
these are areas where animals are confined and where animal feed and waste are
contained.
• Land application areas
– these are areas where manure or wastewater are spread and used as fertilizer.
Also, under the new
permit, in addition to the standard notice of intent required for a permit,
CAFO owners and operators must submit a nutrient management plan for review.
EPA will then review the notice of intent and nutrient management plans and
make them available for public comment and review before granting coverage
under the permit.
CAFOs that have had
permits in the past or, currently discharge or propose to discharge, will have
90 days to submit their notice of intent and nutrient management plans to
obtain coverage under the new permit.
The full proposed permit
is available online by visiting http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/water.nsf/NPDES+Permits/Permits+Homepage.
The public comment
period will run for 60 days from the Federal Register notice on the proposed
permit.
In order to provide more
information and assist people in providing comments, EPA has three public
meetings on the proposed permit:
December 8
U.S. Fish and Game
1345 Barton Rd.
Pocatello, ID 83204
1:00pm-5:00pm
December 9
U.S. Fish and Game
324 S. 417 East
Jerome, ID 83338
10:00am-2:00pm
December 10
Idaho Fish and Game
3101 S. Powerline Rd
Nampa, Idaho 83686
10:00am-2:00pm
For more information
about CAFOs and permitting, visit http://www.epa.gov/guide/cafo/.
