f/EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Fact Sheet Office of Water 4303T EPA-821-F-04-011 September 2004 Managing Manure at Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Summary EPA is publishing technical guidance to help NPDESpermit authorities (States and EPA Regions), permittees, and technical service providers implement EPA 's February 2003 revised Permit Regulations and Effluent Guidelines for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This document will help permit authorities write permits for CAFOs that incorporate the revised effluent guidelines. It will also help operators of CAFOs meet these new limitations. Background on CAFO Regulations EPA published revised regulations for CAFOs under the Clean Water Act on February 12, 2003. The rules established performance expectations for existing and new sources to ensure they store manure and wastewater properly and expectations for proper land application practices at the CAFO. The rules apply to about 17,000 livestock operations across the country. Under the rules all large CAFOs are required to apply for a permit, submit an annual report, and develop and follow a plan for handling manure and wastewater. In addition, the rules move efforts forward to protect the environment by: controlling land application of manure and wastewater, covering all major animal agriculture sectors, requiring all CAFOs to apply for an NPDES permit, and increasing public access to information through CAFO annual reports. Summary of the Technical Guidance The guidance focuses on site-specific requirements of the CAFO rules such as adequate storage of process wastewater and alternatives to setbacks for the land application of manure. The guidance presents many examples including land application rate calculations, sampling methods, National Nutrient Management Technical Standards for land application, and case studies for the voluntary alternative performance standards program. Additional technical resources and references addressed in the guidance include Manure Management Planner, appropriateness of winter spreading of manure, Phosphorus Index and Erosion Loss control tools, and USDA Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans. Further Information For additional information concerning this action, you can contact Mr. Paul Shriner at (202) 566-1076 at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. or you can send an e-mail to shriner.paul@epa.gov. You can view or download the complete text of the guidance on the Internet at www.epa.gov/guide/cafo. ------- |