Buffalo River Watershed Alliance meeting tonight in LR

[Tim Eubanks]

5:30-8:00, Main Library downtown on Rock Street. Presented by two Waterkeepers from North Carolina who have been fighting pollution from factory hog farms since the 70's. Informative to say the least. Please support our efforts to stop the hog farm on Big Creek!

[Cowper]

I've already said this on Facebook, but I'll repeat it here:

Debbie and I went to the second of two meetings in LR. It was a good presentation; I especially appreciate that the guys "kept it professional" by not claiming to know more of the specifics of the Arkansas situation than they really did. They just shared their own experiences from NC. But one word of caution that I think we all need to take very seriously; at least two neighboring states have already banned the open field application methods used by this CAFO, as have more than a dozen others, including NC. So where will the future CAFO's locate? Well, in the states with "CAFO friendly" laws. Yeah, like Arkansas. I hope we are all prepared to do something different BEFORE we have to experience the issues that led these other states to take that action.

[Tim Eubanks]

Seems the logical next step is to push ADEQ and/or the legislature to get regulations with more watershed protection.
I thought it was interesting that the Waterkeepers noted that the number of "pigs on the ground" hasn't changed much from the 1950's, just where they were and how concentrated they were. "No one has ever stood in line waiting for bacon or sausage".