Defending and Strengthening Federal Controls on Factory Farms

The Hog Waste Cycle

Even under normal conditions, untreated hog feces and urine seep from open-pit, unlined waste lagoons and sprayfields into surface waters and groundwater that supplies the drinking water of residents who rely on wells. The liquid waste also evaporates, sending ammonia-nitrogen into the air that comes back in precipation to the land and surface waters, exacerbating water quality problems. There is an overpowering stench from factory farms that can cause severe headaches, nausea and other ailments, and drives neighbors indoors. It is no surprise that property values of homes next to these mega-farms have plummeted, and some people cannot sell their homes at all.