In the 1990’s North America, Europe and Asia have seen a great expansion in the hog industry. In North Carolina alone, the industry quadrupled in this decade. Other regions of the United States, particularly the Midwest, have seen similar growth. As the industry has grown, large scale production, or hog confinement operations, has dominated the industry. The primary method of waste handling for confinement operations is anaerobic lagoons (Midwest Plan Service, 1987). In this method, animal waste is washed from the confinements or housing units to a lagoon and diluted with fresh water. Lagoons allow for solids, from the manure, to settle to the bottom of the lagoon and the ammonium to volatilize. The animal waste to dilution water ratio in a lagoon is typically 1:10.
Anaerobic lagoons, although generally safe, do present potential water quality problems. First, confinement facilities typically fail to have the land area required to properly apply large amounts of waste generated. Proper application usually depends on recommended rates, these ratesare based on the nutritive value (nitrogen or phosphorus content) of the waste material. The prevailing notion is to apply a specific mass of a particular nutrient to given surface area of the field, but only that amount that crops will utilize. Generally, application rates consider nutrient volatilization, nutrient availability, method of application of the waste material, as well as cropping system utilized.
Another water quality problem that has emerged from anaerobic lagoons is seepage. Seepage from lagoons to surrounding groundwater or surface water resources can pose a threat to human health, as well as toxicity to aquatic life. Excessive nitrogen in drinking water is belie...
... middle of paper ...
...e ponds: A case study. . Journal of Environmental Quality. 14(4):533-538.
Phillips. P. A., Culley, J. L. B., Leclerc, J. M. and C. Fox. 1983. Groundwater seepage from earthen manure storages in Ontario. ASAE Paper No. 83-4570. St. Joseph, Michigan.:ASAE.
W. F. Ritter, 1983. Influence of animal waste lagoons on groundwater quality. ASAE Paper No. 83-4375. St. Joseph, Michigan.:ASAE.
Rowsell, J. G., Miller, M. H. and P. H. Groenevelt. 1985. Self-sealing of earthen liquid manure storage ponds: II. Rate and mechanism of sealing. Journal of Environmental Quality. 14(4):539-543.
Tollner, E. W., Hill D. T. and C. D. Busch. 1983. Manure effects on Model lagoons treated with residue for bottom sealing. Transactions of the ASAE. 430-435.
Westerman, P. W., Huffman, R. L. and J. S. Feng. Swine-lagoon seepage in sandy soil. Transactions of the ASAE.38(6)1749-1760.
In his article “Boss Hog: The Dark Side of America’s Top Pork Producer,” (Rolling Stone Magazine, December 14, 2006) Jeff Teitz reports that not only are millions upon millions of pigs being abused and slaughtered each year by America’s largest pork producer, but, in turn, the waste produced by those pigs is polluting, destroying, and even killing others. Teitz begins by revealing that Smithfield Foods, the world’s most profitable pork processor, killed 27 million hogs last year, which is roughly equivalent to the entire human populations of America’s thirty-two largest cities. As Teitz delves deeper into statistics, he explains that more fecal matter is produced from half a million pigs at one Smithfield subsidiary than the 1.5 million residents of Manhattan, and in just one year Smithfield’s total waste discharge is enough to fill four Yankee Stadiums.
Nitrogen and nitrates relate to Hypoxia via the process of eutrophication. Since Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most waters, the added input of nitrate causes massive growth in algae. The algae rapidly consume all available N, and once the nutrient is limited again, the alga dies en masse. As the alga decomposes, oxygen is depleted in the water. This lowers dangerously lowers the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, which harms living organisms in the area. Small organisms and organisms that are immobile or unable to escape low-oxygen areas are particularly vulnerable. Hypoxia and resulting “dead zones” are harmful to local fishing and shrimping industries and algal blooms hurt the tourism industry. Hypoxia has lead to a decrease of about 25% in the brown shrimp habitat, forcing shrimping operations further offshore. As the hypoxia issue continues to grow, negative human effects will only increase. Since nitrate runoff from ag. has been proven to be the dominant source of hypoxia, policies could be enacted to effectively deal with “point-source” pollution. This makes enacting environmental policy more easily adapted, possibly included in past policy such as the Clean Water Act.
INTRODUCTION: There are over 50 lakes and ponds in Cumberland County, Maine, all of various sizes and shapes. Many of these lakes serve different purposes, from hydrating plants to being a source of water for both animals and humans. With this responsibility, comes the question, are these ponds and lakes safe drinking water for animals and humans? Contaminated water poses a risk for both humans and animals.
Michael Jordan, is a legend amongst legends and is considered the best basketball player in the world. Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. Jordan was drafted to the NBA in 1984 by the Chicago Bulls. The 90’s was the starting point for Jordan to become the greatest of all time. Jordan won six straight championship games starting in 1992.
Out of the 12 water tests conducted along different sides of the lake, there seemed to be a great concentration of nitrate and phosphate near the City of Jaffrey, the main water treatment facility, and the side of the farmland with West Side Park. As stated before, the local limit for the concentration of phosphate is 0.1 ppm. Phosphate levels in the parts of Jaffrey Lake near the farm and city were tested to range from 0.5 to over 2.5 ppm. That is 5 to 25 times more than the limit! On the other hand, nitrate was also tested to have 25 ppm in these same areas. That is more than twice the local limit. At every other side of the lake, phosphate levels were within the local limit at 0 to 0.19 ppm. Nitrate was also below the limit at 2 to 4.9 ppm across the lake. This shows that there are specific areas of
Michael Jordan was never just in love with basketball he was also in love with baseball in his early years. Came his sophomore year in high school Jordan tried out for his high school basketball team but things did not go his way and he did not make his high school team. This did not discourage Jordan this just made him want to make his high school team even more. Came his senior year he got a spark of luck when he was selected for the McDonald’s All-American team. After high school he got a scholarship North
Stephenson, R., & Blackburn, J. J. (1998). The Industrial Wastewater Systems Handbook. New York: Lewis Publishers.
In Brooklyn, New York. He moved at a very early age to Wilmington North Carolina where he grew up with his 4 other siblings. In 1982, after he choose North Carolina for a collage Michael Jordan was
The data we found supported our original water hypothesis. My group and I believed that adding ammonium nitrate into our eco-column would ultimately damage the ecosystems. The increase in levels of minerals from the aquatic ecosystem also indicates that the entire column was being destroyed. Through this experiment, I have learned that too much nutrients and minerals within an ecosystem can be extremely harmful to the wildlife. Throughout this experiment the water in our eco column began to turn yellow because of a surplus of nitrogen and phosphorous in the eco-column. In some of the eco-columns of the other groups in the classroom, they had eutrophication in the early stages of their eco-column which resulted in the death of many of their
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
Michigan Laws Regulated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Part 328, MCL 324.32801…324.32803, Aquifer Protection
Oroian, Viman Oana I. "Damaging Effects of Overall Water Pollution." BioFlux (2010): 113-15. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Agriculture also leads to soil erosion, both through rainfall and wind. This soil can damage the aquatic ecosystems it ends up in, an...
... in corn, soybeans and cereal grains are found in the indigestible compound phytate that passes through the digestive tract of the pig and is enriched in the manure. The carbohydrates and proteins in this food are digested and absorbed. When manure from ordinary pigs is spread throughout land in areas surrounding intense swine production, it has been shown that there is an accumulation of phosphorus in the soil. Upon heavy rain this phosphorus rich soil runs into water ways in turn increasing the phosphorus concentration of the water. Algae grows layering the body of water causing the reduction in oxygen concentration in the liquid which results in the death of fish and other aquatic animals. The ecosystem of the area is effect, removing food for birdlife and killing plant life. Frequently toxins are produced by the algae and the water is no longer safe to drink.
chemicals. In order to avoid polluting the water we spread the manure and slurry when