The Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered the Department of Ecology to rewrite pollution discharge permits for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to better protect water resources and public health. A unanimous Washington Court of Appeals decision in 2021 required the Department of Ecology to rewrite these permits because they violated state and federal law, and the court order detailed ways to bring these permits into compliance. However, provisions created did not meet expectations.
In the new order, the Department of Ecology must allow the public to review and comment on CAFO pollution control plans, require groundwater monitoring for every permitted facility, and set a standard to ensure leachate from manure storage will not pollute groundwater.
This article appeared in the May 2025 issue of Journal of Nutrient Management on page 5.
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