ARS | Publication request: Manure Spills in Streams: Current Practices and Remediation Methods to Minimize Water Quality Degradation

Submitted to: Sustainable Agriculture
Publication Type: Book/Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: April 1, 2009
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Manure spills into streams are an all too common byproduct of animal production. With greater numbers of animals raised on fewer farms, manure spills become greater problems due to the volume of manure spilled into aquatic ecosystems. This book chapter reviews why manure spills occur, and the current remediation techniques. The most common regulations for dealing with manure spills into streams is to dam up the stream, remove the water and liquid water, remove the dams, and dispose of the liquid waste into lagoons or land application. This practice does not account for the contaminated sediments that are left behind, which can serve as a source of contamination to the water column. This book chapter then explores secondary treatment, such as treatment of the sediments with aluminum sulfate, to minimize the loss of phosphorus to the water column from the contaminated sediments. This book chapter aims to inform students, the general public and policy makers on how and why manure spills occur, and briefly describe means by which we can improve the current methods to cleaning up these unfortunate events.