FACT SHEET
Office of Wastewater Management
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
and Their Effect on Water Pollution
What are CAFOs ?
Basically, CAFOs are animal feeding operations (AFOs) nearby waters that originate outside of or pass over,
that confine or house livestock or poultry prior to the across, or though the facility, or otherwise come into
animals being sent to market for sale, or to processing direct contact with the animals confined there, then
plants for slaughter and packaging for consumption, these facilities are also considered to be CAFOs.
CAFOs can range in size of operation from less than
100 individual animals to several thousand, depending In addition to the above criteria, any AFO may be
on species and type. The designation of an AFO to designated as a CAFO based on water quality concerns.
that of a CAFO is dependent on the number of animal Factors used in making this determination include the
units (AUs), the length of time the animals are size of the operation, the amount of waste entering
maintained at the facility, and the method of nearby waters, the location of the facility in relation to
confinement (barns, open pasture, etc.) and means of nearby waters, the means of conveyance used to carry
waste containment and disposal used by the facility. process-generated wastewater into nearby water
bodies, site-specific factors such as slope, vegetation,
What are "animal units" (AUs)? ' and rainfall, and the type and frequency of discharge
into nearby waters.
The term "animal unit" refers to a unit of measurement
used to standardize measurements of size of AFOs. The Why are CAFOs of concern in terms of water
number of AUs is determined by multiplying the pollution?
number of animals of each species (otherthan poultry)
by an equivalency factor and adding the totals. Species CAFOs may potentially contaminate nearby creeks,
equivalency factors for mammalian livestock are: steams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries from runoff and
Species Factor discharges during normal operations. Additionally,
Horses 2.0 CAFOs are of special concern during periods of
Mature dairy cattle 1.4 excessive precipitation, because animal waste collection
Slaughter/Feeder cattle 1.0 devices and holding facilities are likely to be
Swine (>551bs.) 0.4 overwhelmed during these events, allowing large
Sheep or lambs 0.1 volumes of wastewater to enter nearby surface water
bodies.
How are AFOs defined, and when do they become
CAFOs? Public concern over the contamination of surface and
ground water from animal agricultural waste is
An animal feeding operation, or AFO, is a facility where currently renewing interest on the part of both the
animals are, have, or will be confined and fed or livestock industry, the public, and regulatory agencies
maintained for a total of 45 days or more in any 12- in developing strategies for reducing and eliminating
month period. These confinement areas (bams, sheds, this source of water pollution. Of particular concern
yards, etc.) do not sustain crops or forage growth in are degradation of surface and ground waters from
the normal growing season. If the AFO houses more nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogens. EPA estimates
than a total of 1,000 animal units, 55,000 or more that animal agriculture contributes about one-third to
turkeys, 100,000 or more laying hens or. broilers with one-half of all the nonpoint surface water pollution in
continuous overflow watering, 30,000 or more hens or the United States, primarily from the improper
broilers on a liquid manure system, oir 5,000 or more application of animal wastes from confinement
ducks, then the facility meets the definition of a CAFO. operations and grazing.
If the facility has more than 300 total animal units; 16, What is being done to help solve the problem?
16,500 turkeys, 30,000 laying hens or broilers on
continuous overflow watering, 9,000 laying hens or EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
broilers on a liquid manure system, or 1,500 ducks, and System (NPDES) program provides a means of
discharges pollutants into nearby waters by means of addressing the problem by regulating the discharge of
a man-made ditch, flushing system, or other similar pollutants from CAFOs by permit Under criteria set
man-made device, or discharges pollutants directly into forth in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
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Information on NPDES regulations governing
CAFOs (con't from p. 1):
• Summary of Water Pollution from Feedlot
Waste: An Analysis of its Magnitude and
Geographic Distribution, EPA Feedlots
Workgroup, 1993.
Additional Information from the Code of
Federal Regulations and citations in the
FEDERAL REGISTER can help understand the
NPDES regulations applicable to CAFOs:
• Criteria far Determining a Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operation, 40 CFR Section
122, Appendix B (1992);
• Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,
40 CFR Section 122.23 (1992);
• EPA Effluent Guidelines and Standards for
Feedlots, 40 CFR 412 (Revised through July 1,
1991);
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System and State Program Elements
Necessary for Participation: Concentrated Animal .
Feeding Operations, 40 CFR 54182 (Nov. 20,
1975);
• State Program Elements Necessary for
Participation in the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System: Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operations, 41 FR11458 (Mar. 18,
1976);
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System General Permit Requirements for
Discharges from Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operations (Region 6 Final Notice),
58 FR 7610 (Feb. 8,1993).
FOR MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT:
Where Can I Go For More Information?
Additional information on NPDES regulations affect-
ing CAFOs can be obtained by contacting the Permits
Branch in your nearest EPA Regional Office:
EPA Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
JFK Federal Building, Boston, MA 02203
(617(56S4940)
EPA Region II (NJ, NY, PR, VI)
26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-9894
EPA Region III pC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV)
841 Chestnut Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9078
EPA Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC,
TN)
345 Courtland Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2019
EPA Region V (IL, IN, MI, OH, MN, WI)
230 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3507
(312) 353-2079
EPA Region VI (AR, LA, OK, NM, TX)
1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 655-7171
EPA Region VII (IA, KS, MO, NE)
726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 551-7034
EPA Region VIH (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)
99918th Street, Denver, CO 80202-2413
(303) 293-1623
EPA Region IX (AS, AZ, CA,CMI/GU,HI,NV)
75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)744-1877
EPA Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA)
1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101
(206)553-1728
Permitting:
Office of Wastewatcr Management
Permits Division (4203)
U.S. EPA
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 260-9537/FAX (202) 260-1460
Nonpoint Source:
Office of Wetlands, Oceans
and Watersheds
VS. EPA
Fail-child Bldg.
499 South Capitol Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 260-7040/FAX (202) 260-7024
Compliance/Enforcement
Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
US. EPA
Ariel Rios Bldg.
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20044
(202) 564-2280/FAX (202) 5640028
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