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Reuse of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operating Wastewater on Agricultural Lands
Citation:
BRADFORD, S. A., E. SEGAL, W. ZHENG, Q. WANG, AND S. R. HUTCHINS. Reuse of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operating Wastewater on Agricultural Lands. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. American Society of Agronomy, MADISON, WI, 37(5):S97-S115, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
To discusses our current level of understanding on the environmental impact and sustainability of CAFO wastewater reuse.
Description:
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) generate large volumes of manure and manure-contaminated wash and runoff water. Transportation, storage, and treatment of manure and manure-contaminated water are costly. The large volume of waste generated, and the lack of disposal areas, further limits effective manure management. When applied to land at agronomic rates, CAFO wastewater has the potential to be a valuable fertilizer and soil amendment that can improve the physical condition of the soil for plant growth and reduce the demand for high quality water resources. However, excess amounts of nutrients, salts, pathogenic microorganisms, and pharmaceutically active compounds (antibiotics and hormones) in CAFO wastewater can adversely impact soil and water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency currently requires the development and approval of Nutrient Management Plans (NMP) for CAFOs, and believes that the development and implementation of a full Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) is one of the most effective methods for a permitted operation to demonstrate compliance with the NMP requirements A CNMP is a design document that, among other things, sets rates for waste application to meet the water and nutrient requirements of the selected crops and soil types, and is typically written so as to be protective of surface water resources. The tacit assumption is that a well-designed and executed CNMP ensures that all lagoon water contaminants are taken up or degraded in theroot zone, so that groundwater is inherently protected. The validity of this assumption for all lagoon water contaminants has not yet been thoroughly studied. This review paper discusses our current level of understanding on the environmental impact and sustainability of CAFO wastewater reuse. Specifically, we address the source, composition, application practices, environmental issues, transport pathways, and potential treatments associated with the reuse of CAFO wastewater on agricultural lands.
