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Pollution on the Neuse River

The Neuse is one of only three rivers in North Carolina whose boundaries are located entirely within the state.

More than 1,500,000 people (1/6 North Carolina's population) live in the basin.

The Problem

-The Neuse River basin encompasses over 3,800 miles of streams and rivers; major tributaries being Crabtree, Swift and Contentnea Creeks & Eno, Trent and Little Rivers

-Estuary is approx. 370,000 acres

-There are 18 counties (74 municipalities), totaling about 1.5 million people, within the basin

- Fertilizers and animal waste contribute over 60% of nitrogen, phosphorous and ammonia overload

Water Quality:

•400 permits given to dump waste into Neuse

•Over 100 million gallons of partially treated wastewater dishcharged each day

•650% increase in dumping of waste water since 1950

•many non-point run-offs polluting river

•one of North America's 20 most threatened rivers

•in 1994 major pipeliners discharged 3,236,000 lbs. of nitrogen

•in 1994 major pipeliners discharged 372,000 lbs. of phosphorous

•high levels of heavy metals like copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, and cadmium

Causes

- Before the vertical integration trend of the late 80s and 90s, hog producers were evenly spread out over the state - 11, 000 farms , 60% of which held 25 or fewer hogs; as of 2000, 95% of all hog production took place in the coastal plain counties (ibid 155) while Smithfield Foods had achieved a near monopoly

•CAFOs typically maintain herds in the thousands, though some operations exceed a million head

•CAFOs consist of three primary components: the hog house, the waste lagoons, and the sprayfield

•A hog house typically has a slat floor through which the urine, feces, water, excess antibiotics (administered to offset the miasmic conditions of thousands of animals in close quarters) and birth fluids (placentas, still born piglets etc.) filter. This liquid slurry is pumped to the waste lagoon

•When the lagoon nears full capacity, the waste slurry is sprayed onto a field of non-commercial crops , chosen for their ability to metabolize nitrogen and phosphorous.

-CAFOs are classified by the EPA as non-point source polluters, so their waste management practices are not covered by the Clean Water Act

-In 1999 The NC Swine Task Force estimated that the pork industry produced over 9 million tons of solid waste, easily exceeding the waste produced by NC’s human population; this waste has been concentrated onto ever smaller areas as the industry has been vertically integrated

What happens when it rains?

  • Overflowing
  • 1996: Hurricane Fran overflowed dozens of lagoons in the Neuse River basin

The same "lagoons" that were in the floodplain remain the same.

Effects

-Heightened levels of nitrogen and phosphorous cause algal blooms and oxygen depletion in streams ; fish kills exceeding 12 million fish occurred in the Neuse after the 1995 floods, and another major fish kill event occurred in the Neuse in 2004; map of 2004 fish kill shows that it was most severe where all tributaries converge, and where pollutants were most concentrated : at the mouth of the river

- The mortality rate of Neuse river fish in 2009 may have been the highest yet

Cumulative Mortality for 2004 732,863

-Estuarine 727,612

-Freshwater 5,251

Solutions

Government

In 2000,the Attorney General of NC entered into agreements first with Smithfield Foods and its subsidiaries and then with Premium Standard Farms under which the two companies consented to fund development of environmentally superior waste management technologies for use on North Carolina swine farms owned by the companies.

  • Introduced new technologies for processes.
  • Created more innovative ways for dealing with waste.

Community

As a community we should practice environmentally friendly techniques. Here are some simple things we can do that will reduce our impact on the environment.

- Reduce urban runoff of lawn fertilizers and pesticides

- Encourage smart farming practices (buy organic or local produce)

- Drive less

- Opposing coastal development

- Opposing deforestation

- Supporting urban redevelopment to reduce environmental harm

- Recycle

- Dispose of old chemicals properly

- Buy ''green'' household cleaners

- Don't litter

- Install energy saving appliances

- Purchase products from companies that recycle

Alternative Methods

-organic farming

-vertical farming

-self sustaining farming practices

  • CSA
  • WWOOF

"The astronomer looks high, the geologist, low. Who looks between on the surface of the earth? The farmer I suppose, but too often he sees only grain, and of that only the mere bread-bushel-and-price side of it."

-Muir

- Before the vertical integration trend of the late 80s and 90s, hog producers were evenly spread out over the state - 11, 000 farms , 60% of which held 25 or fewer hogs; as of 2000, 95% of all hog production took place in the coastal plain counties (ibid 155) while Smithfield Foods had achieved a near monopoly

History

Photo of the Neuse River after Smithfield slaughterhouse opened up in NC. Each red

dot is a CAFO. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.

Overhead of CAFO

Click anywhere & add an idea

Smithfield Overhead

  • CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)
  • 1995: heavy rains led to a 22 million gallon waste spill at Oceanview Farms in Onslow Coounty
  • 1999: Hurricane Floyd caused over 50 lagoons to overflow with water at 500-year flood levels

Total Kill Events for 2004 18

When did doing what is right become the alternative?

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