December 7, 2010,
Tucker, GA – The Environmental Education Program at the 2011 International
Poultry Expo will review the recently implemented Total Maximum Daily Load
(TMDL) requirements for the Chesapeake Bay and examine the wider impact on
water quality standards nationwide.
December 7, 2010,
Tucker, GA – The Environmental Education Program at the 2011 International
Poultry Expo will review the recently implemented Total Maximum Daily Load
(TMDL) requirements for the Chesapeake Bay and examine the wider impact on
water quality standards nationwide.
Sponsored by U.S.
Poultry & Egg Association , the expo is set for January 26-28, 2011, in
Atlanta.
“One of the major issues
currently facing the poultry industry is the regulation and control of
nutrients in wastewater discharges and runoff,” said Paul Bredwell, vice
president of environmental programs at USPOULTRY. “This is clearly evident in
EPA’s development of a total maximum daily load for the Chesapeake
Bay. This TMDL has been compared to placing all sources of pollution to
the Chesapeake Bay on a diet to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment
flowing into the bay. While this is an extremely large and complicated
undertaking, the bay TMDL is part of a larger initiative to set water quality
standards nationwide that include limits on nutrient levels within waters of
the U.S.”
The 2011 IPE
environmental education session will focus on these issues and the potential
effects they will have on the poultry industry. The session will feature
presentations from experts in the field of water quality science and
engineering and the development of federal regulatory programs. They will
address rational steps that can be taken to collaborate on the issues.
Speakers will include
Pat Bradley, senior scientist with LimnoTech, an engineering firm that
specializes in water quality science and engineering; Adrienne Nemura, a vice
president with LimnoTech; and Suzy Friedman, deputy director for Working Lands
at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Bradley will describe
water quality standards and other targets and how these can be used to trigger
a TMDL, summarize the issues associated with establishing appropriate water
quality standards, and discuss the advantages of adaptive watershed management.
Nemura will discuss the
implementation of nutrient control policy as it relates to the Chesapeake Bay
TMDL and provide guidance to prepare stakeholders in the poultry industry for
the numerous TMDLs that are being developed across the country. She will also
discuss potential challenges associated with EPA’s apparent next focus – the
Mississippi River watershed.
Friedman will describe
the development and implementation of incentive-based
conservation projects with farmers, conservation organizations, producer
organizations, state and federal agencies, and other local partners to enhance
cooperative conservation efforts on agricultural lands.
