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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-08-06, Page 22.111.1 MYROM R ZPOatTOA, wnust 0, t111117 Grim picture of environmental .damage CONTINUED from page I said the group's primary •stat is to educate people so they can identity, address and pre- vent potential environmental problems concerning intensive livestock operations. Grim Tidings Towards that end, 'Bill Andrews,:an environmental science.professor from the University of Toronto, was asked to address the group concerning how manure runoff• hem agricultural oper- ations impacts on the sur- rounding community. Andrews owns a 135..acre property in Ease Wawanosh Twp. and grew up on a farm near Clinton. Citing examples from his own reseawh and from infor- mation he has taken off the Internet. Andrews painted a gnm picture of what intensive livestock operations can do to the environment. He discussed the problem. gave examples and highlight- ed what other communities have dune to address the issue. He outlined the health concerns and explained what bacteria and nitrates from the liquid manure can do to plants, soil. water and people - - the message was sobering. The net result of the runoff. said Andrews, could range from dead fish and reduced real estate values to intestinal disorders and poisoned well water which could kill babies. It was an informative ses- sion of colourful examples and damning statistics. yet what Andrews' 90 -minute talk seemed to come. down to was one simple question: How many -animals can live and create waste on any given watershed? He said the answer to that question needs to be answered before further approval is given to megatarnts. He said regardless of the type of how use store or use the manure, there is a *Mit to the number of animals that can be producing on a given watershed without unduly threatening the water quality. 'The manure has to go some- where," he said. "That limit should be known. Before you start putting massive hog opera- tions or any.other kind ot operations in an area, you should know exactly what the carrying capacity of the streams are," be said. He said a study of the watershed capacity should be undertaken to discover exactly how many animals can live on this land before environmental damage is done. And he added that such a study should be done•before before, not after, an .accident occurs. "I hate this systenttiwhere you wait until somebody. kills everything and then ,you :sue them under the Environmental Protection Act. You should make sure it doesn't happen in the first place." He also said large hog oper- ations should have- to submit waste management plans. He said cities and towns have to tell the Ministry of Environment how much sewage they are going to put into the rivers, and the same rules should apply to mega - farms. For example, he pointed out that a 6.000 -sow hog factory produces about 50 tons of raw manure a day -- the same amount produced by a city of 15,000 people. "If you have a farm opera- tion chat's bigger than Clinton, bigger than Wingham, bigger than Goderich combined, shouldn't you have to produce a waste management plan just like those towns do?" • Such a plan, according to Andrews, would make the producers aware of the envi- ' ronmental risk they pose, mad in that awareness, make than responsible stewards of the land. "I'm not against big opera- tions it they are done right," he said. Working Hard Henry Vanderburgt, the president of the Huron County Pork Producers Association, agreed that waste manage- ment plans are good for all sizes of producers, but added the operations in this county are, in fact, being "done right." He admitted pork operations in the area are growing as pro- ducers fight to stay in busi- ness, but *aid the expansion is bang dome .with consideration for the environment. "Pork producers are just as aware and concerned about the environment as members of the non -farming communi- ty." said Vanderburgt. "I believe most farmers are conscientious enough to spread manure at the right times," he said. Vanderburgt said pork pro- ducers are working hard to work within environmental guidelines and pointed out fewer .producers are now using earthen lagoons to store sewage and are opting for more secure concrete struc- tures. He also raid if manure is spread properly and at the cor- rect times, "next to none" of the manure will get into the watercourse because there is plenty of agricultural land in Huron County to service the manure being produced by the county's livestock. Cenrectien A caption under the photo ot the Meladys panning gold had identified family mem- bers incorrectly. Frances Melady is standing with her son Tom and his wite Joanne. On the other side is her son Don The Huron Expositor apolt t gizes for the error. July 30 Expositor Exposed! Ex.Files: bpatted Mistakes: 1) Page -2 - Should be "Don" instead of "tom" - Ona McGrath 21 Page '3 - i$bould 'be "brought" iaatead Of "bought" CecilieRyan 3) Page 6 - "unexpected early hour" repeated -_Dolly McQuaid .Watch For Special Gtvr away Days - Mk For Details MS Many More In -Store Specials fiva Free Delivery ht Town lion. -Fn. VIVO /►Y Ontario Grown Zatila =MUDS 694 tProaxn Ptenlc 2ffiQ /69' 527-204-, 23 MAIN ST. 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