An Ohio Lake Erie Commission report confirms the western Lake Erie’s 2026 algal bloom has recently formed and also that the commission is inviting comments about whether the public thinks the nutrients feeding the blooms are coming from outside the area.
Another new report from EPA scientists states: 1) the largest water pollution problem is nutrient pollution; 2) agriculture is the primary driver of nutrient pollution; and 3) industrial animal ag is responsible for half of all nutrient pollution.
Your readers need to know the Ohio Department of Agriculture just approved a renewal permit for a 2,000-head dairy factory “farm” (confined animal feeding operation or CAFO) in southwest Wood County that applies millions of gallons of untreated manure, aka. nutrient pollution, to farm fields that drain into the Maumee River.
Another interesting fact is that H2Ohio pays $60 per acre of taxpayer money to farmers and landowners who allow these CAFOs to apply their massive amounts of untreated manure to their fields. Predictably, our legislators made sure all these ODA transactions are exempt from disclosure. I question why they would only exempt ODA’s H2Ohio information since Ohio EPA and ODNR transactions are available for public scrutiny.
According to the initial 2005 permit for this dairy factory “farm,” the 925 cows produced 139 lbs. of phosphorus per cow per year. A few years later this dairy expanded and that permit showed 2,000 cows producing only 76 lbs. each year. Remarkably, this newly-approved renewal permit claims that the 2,000 “magic” cows now only produce less than 64 lbs. per year – which is less than half of the original amount.
ODA regulations mandate the land application of manure should be conducted to utilize nutrients at “agronomic rates.” OSU Extension best management practices for land application of manure states there is no agronomic justification for raising soil phosphorus levels about those that provide adequate nutrition to the crop which is 30 ppm. This new permit shows that the dair owner will be applying manure to 1,913 acres with phosphorus ratings from 40 to 100 ppm.
Clean and safe water is essential to life. Everyone should be outraged that our legislators are allowing this sham ODA CAFO program to threaten our water and our wallets. Please contact the Ohio EPA at Cherie.Blair@epa.ohio.gov and tell them to stop factory “farms” from using Lake Erie as a toilet for their massive amounts of animal waste.
Vickie Askins
Cygnet
