Abstract

This work was supported by EPA’s Office of Research and Development through the Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) Program. This program is designed to 1) provide the Regions with near-term research on high priority, Region-specific technical needs, 2) improve collaboration between Regions and ORD laboratories, 3) build the foundation for future scientific interaction, and 4) develop useful tools for state, local and tribal governments to address near-term environmental issues. EPA Region 6 and ORD’s Ground Water & Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD) recognized the need to evaluate whether properly-designed Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) developed for land application of waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are truly protective of ground water quality. Funding ($130K total) was awarded to EPA Region 6 (Nancy Dorsey, EPA Region 6 Contact) and administered through GWERD (Elise Striz, Stephen Hutchins, Project Officers), and was used by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (David Brauer, USDA-ARS Contact) to conduct two separate site investigations at CAFO facilities where CNMPs were being followed. The objective was to conduct comprehensive sampling of soil, soil water, and crops for nutrients throughout the growing season to determine which simple soil/crop metrics are the best indicators of the potential for nutrients to escape the root zone and become a threat to ground water. This report describes the site investigation conducted by Dr. Philip A. Moore, Jr., and Dr. David Brauer for a dairy farm in Arkansas. The other site investigation was conducted by Dr. Jerry L. Hatfield for a swine operation in Iowa and is described in the companion report.

Contact

Elise Strize

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