WASHINGTON — Virginia has certain restrictions in place for workers handling animal waste in order to avoid contaminating groundwater sources. But one expert says the Commonwealth could do more to educate people about the risk.
Last year, Virginia updated regulations for animal waste at animal feeding operations. One of those regulations included ensuring that storage areas are higher than one foot above the seasonal high water table.
Bryan Dunning, a senior policy analyst for the nonprofit Center for Progressive Reform, said the Commonwealth took a step in the right direction with increased monitoring.
“It’s for all facilities constructed after ’98,” he said. “So, that is some improved monitoring to get an idea of if there are problems with the facility that is breaching into the groundwater.”
Dunning added that pre-1998 systems are grandfathered in under the new regulations. The agriculture industry accounts for half of the nitrogen and phosphorus that sucks oxygen out of Chesapeake Bay, which is needed to sustain aquatic life.
Dunning said Virginia officials could take steps to further combat groundwater contamination from manure at animal-feeding operations. That includes making data electronically available to the general public without the need to file a Freedom of Information Act request.
“Public information for these sorts of things is really important because if you source your water for your house from a private well, you’re responsible for making sure that your water’s clean,” he said. “And without having that sort of publicly available database, basically to increase public knowledge, you’re kind of operating in an information blackhole.”
Dunning added that unauthorized discharge of animal waste should be publicly disclosed. Confinement operators have said they are always looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly, while also keeping up with consumer demand for high-quality meat.
