New Threat to the Buffalo River

[DeBo]

It has just come to our attention that ADEQ has granted a permit for a new factory hog farm near Big Creek, West of Mt. Judea, (Hwy. intersections 74/123). The hog waste application field is adjacent to Big Creek, a tributary to the Buffalo National River. The permit was granted in August and was not posted in any newspapers for public comments.


We have now been told by ADEQ staff that the facility known as C and H Hog Farm will be situated on 630.7 acres and will house shallow pits able to contain 759,542 gallons of waste, a settling basin with a capacity of 831,193 gallons and a holding pond with a capacity of 1,904,730 gallons. The waste will be spread on pasture land near the creek with only a 100 ft buffer between the application zone and the creek.

Here are some primary concerns that you may use when contacting ADEQ:

In heavy rain events holding ponds can easily overflow and applied waste from fields will run into nearby streams and on into the Buffalo River. When fine organic material from decomposing hog waste (includes feces and urine) run off into the river, it becomes trapped in gravel bars where decomposition continues and produces ammonia and methane which are toxic to mussels and fish. There are two endangered mussels and two endangered fish in the Buffalo at risk. The nutrients from this waste decrease the clarity of water and promote the growth of algae in the summer which has already become a problem for Buffalo River.

We know from experience that as this facility ages and reaches capacity it will become more difficult for it to contain waste. Maintenance efforts become lax while breaches and accidental leaks become more likely. One large spill has the ability to damage the quality of water in the Buffalo River and Big Creek for years as such a spill on the Illinois River did many years ago.

We understand that a landowner has certain rights to develop their own property but we also know that one person’s rights end where another’s begin. The risk is too great that waste from this operation will pollute the waters of the state which belong to all of us. The Buffalo River alone is a powerful economic driver for our state, attracting millions of recreational users who in turn contribute millions of dollars to our economy.

I know we all care about our rivers and many of us spend a lot of time on the Buffalo. Please pass your concerns on to ADEQ. Just a short line in your own words will help. The conservation community has a good working relationship with ADEQ and I know that they will listen to our concerns, so please be respectful.

We believe it is best to not use a “form letter” or “petition” approach. However, if you are as concerned about this issue as we are, then please send a short e-mail that clearly states you believe the permit should be withdrawn, and listing one or more of the specific concerns discussed above, or other concerns that you might have about this permit.

E-mails should include the following three individuals:

Teresa Marks ADEQ Director: (501) 682-0959 Email marks@adeq.state.ar.us
Steve Drown ADEQ Water Division Manager: (501) 682-0655 drown@adeq.state.ar.us
John Bailey ADEQ Engineer P.E. Branch Manager: (501) 682-0629 Email bailey@adeq.state.ar.us

[Richard]

Might also remind them that this is porous limestone country aka Karst Topography. Any of that stuff going into the ground is liable to show up in other areas including the Buffalo or even possibly Crooked Creek, the Piney, Illinois or Mulberry.

Last summer, swimming at Blanchard Springs was prohibited because of contamination caused by feral pigs.

[Deuce]

Done. Thanks Debo.

[Eric Esche]

Written and sent. Let me know if you need to have a copy for your records. I asked for immediate withdrawal of the permit and asked for answers to the many questions I had.

I would hope that everyone in the ACC follows up on this significant threat to the Buffalo. Thank you again for doing what you do so well.

- Eric Esche

[OzarkTom]

Debbie,

Thanks as always for keeping us informed about problems like this!
I strongly encourage all of you who read this to take just a few minutes and contact ADEQ and your representatives in regards to this. Lets see if we can get them to take another look at this.

[Edgar]

Thanks for the info, I'm not very good at writing letters but I sent them something expressing how I feel.

[BHK Okie]

I sent mine yesterday . please keep us posted

[Cowper]

E-mail also sent.

In addition to issues mentioned above, I asked for review/revision of how they go about making public notifications to allow reasonable comments prior to permit issuance.

I think it is significant that some very interested individuals and organizations did not know about this until after people questioned the NPS about what was going on in their watershed.

This speaks to two issues:

1) Was there any public notice, and if so, what else can be done to provide wider distribution of future notices? and

2) Yes, it really is important that those who travel in our state ask questions about things they see going on. My understanding is that the NPS became aware of this issue only because people travelling in the area called to ask about the construction activity. If you see something "funny", report it! If everything is on the up-and-up, no harm will be done by having asked about it; harm WILL be done if regulatory agencies or others who care about water quality remain in the dark about what is going on.

[maggiepowell]

Thanks for notifying everyone. I will make to make contact with those individuals named and encourage others to do so.

Maggie

[WPC]

I will pass this along to all of the Waco Paddle Club members and ask that they send an email as well. We have been making 1 - 2 annual trips to the BNR for the past 5 years and would hate to see any negative impact on the river.

I am not familiar with the ADEQ, but if it is similar to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), they may have an email subscription you can sign up for that emails you notices based on what you sign up for. That might be a way to stay on top of some of these permits that are being issued without sufficent notice to the paddling community.

I tried to log into their website (http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) but never got thru.

Diane

[kayakmamma]

Done! Thank you

[flow]

I'm torn on this one! I currently own three Poultry Farms. Two in Hempstead County and one in Nevada. I'm sure the people who've applied for this permit really do have good intentions, and are just trying to make a living! It takes a lot of faith, and guts to borrow what is probably around one million to do this! While there are a few "factory farms" owned by large company's , the vast majority are owned by small family farmers!

I have never operated a Swine facility, but have some friends who have. As per the OP this can only be a grow out operation. Nine week old pigs are brought to these facility's and grown out for slaughter. These houses are built on a slant. The pigs are above the floor on wooden slats. The urine and manure falls to the concrete floor below. Water is pumped into a large tank at the high end of the building then released all at once which flushes out the entire building and ends up in a holding pond. These holding ponds are constructed so the only way water can enter is through rainfall which in this part of the country doesn't come close to keeping up with evaporation. After a period of time this first pond is pumped into an even larger second pond where theoretically the fecal matter will decompose and never have to be cleaned out. Water is pumped from the top of this second pond back to the tanks and used to flush out the buildings again. These ponds are lined with a thick layer of clay to prevent seepage into the ground

Now comes the problem! After a few years we have a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of fertilizer just sitting in the bottom of that second pond. A agitator is placed in bottom of the second pond and this water/fecal matter is pumped into a truck mounted tank called a "Honey Wagon" and hauled out to the field. No one wants this job! It is an unbelievable stench! It can't be done without getting some on your clothes so it always falls to "Good Ol Boy"! So now Good Ol Boy and his 4th grade education head out with 2000 gallons of fish poison! In his mind the 100 feet was just a suggestion! Sooner or later he gets the tractor stuck right by the creek and unloads it there so he can get the tractor out.

Email sent

Phil

[kayakmamma]

Wow Phil, thanks for the information

[dogpatch]

Letter sent. Thanks, Debo. Keep us posted on the status.

[maggiepowell]

I sent an email as well.

Happy New Year everyone!
Maggie