U.S. Water News Online
BALTIMORE -- Livestock in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland must be fed differently to make their waste less rich in nutrients that are in effect choking the Chesapeake Bay, a new report finds.
The report, released by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, finds that manure is the single largest contributor of nitrogen and phosphorous -- 18 percent and 25 percent, respectively -- which, in excessive amounts, spur the growth of algae and other organisms that rob oxygen from the water and harm other bay species.
While the amount of manure produced over the past 15 to 20 years has not changed substantially, the amount of nutrients it contains has gone up. That's because chicken manure is higher in nutrients than cow manure and poultry production has increased while milk and beef production have decreased, the report said.
Some poultry growers have already changed the composition of their feed, reducing phosphorous levels by 16 percent, and could potentially lower phosphorus 50 percent. New research shows lower nutrient levels in dairy feed could cut pollution from cow manure up to 40 percent, and save money, the report said.
The foundation said it was also calling on bay watershed states by June 2005 to develop sufficient alternative uses for excess manure, like burning it to produce energy. Animal waste can also be used in mine reclamation, the report said.
The recommendations also call for requiring safeguards when manure is spread on cropland, including ensuring manure is tilled into the ground to prevent runoff and air release, timing the spreading to phosphorous and nitrogen needs of plants, and the use of cover crops.
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