United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-06-29 monographic deposited born digital 91 p. GA 1.13:RCED-95-200BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR P0b002ee1803a4e2c f:rc95200b DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR RCED-95-200BR Water pollution control Agricultural production Animals Waste management Agricultural assistance Agricultural programs Water quality Waste disposal Cost sharing (finance) Licenses National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit Program USDA Agricultural Conservation Program USDA Water Quality Incentive Project USDA Small Watershed Program USDA Rural Clean Water Program USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program Briefing Report RCED

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the management of animal agriculture waste and related water quality issues, focusing on: (1) water quality concerns arising from animal agriculture sources of nonpoint pollution; (2) consolidation trends and geographical shifts in animal agriculture; (3) animal agriculture production covered by point source permits; (4) commonly used animal waste management practices and their associated costs; (5) Department of Agriculture (USDA) cost-share assistance for animal waste management; and (6) the management of wastes associated with animal breeding and feeding operations.<p/>GAO found that: (1) animal waste runoff can introduce excess nutrients, organic matter, and pathogens into surface water and groundwater; (2) agricultural nonpoint pollution is a major factor is water quality degradation; (3) since 1970, the concentration of animal production in large, confined operations has increased for each of the 6 livestock categories studied; (4) geographical shifts in livestock production vary with the specific livestock industry; (5) large, concentrated feeding operations can obtain point source permits to control sources of pollution discharges; (6) many feedlot operations are not required to have point source permits because they do not discharge wastes during most storm events, but many other operations that should have permits do not because of erroneous exemptions or insufficient resources to identify all operations needing permits; (7) commonly used animal waste management practices include storage structures to hold animal wastes until they can be used as fertilizer, buffers to filter nutrients and organic matter from runoff before it reaches surface water, and nutrient management which ensures proper timing and application of manure as fertilizer; (8) waste management costs vary depending on the size and type of operation; and (9) USDA provided about $89 million in cost-share assistance to farmers for animal waste management for fiscal years 1992 through 1994. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR.pdf GAO/RCED-95-200BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-200BR Briefing Report GAO/RCED-95-200BR; Animal Agriculture: Information on Waste Management and Water Quality Issues; Water pollution control Agricultural production Animals Waste management Agricultural assistance Agricultural programs Water quality Waste disposal Cost sharing (finance) Licenses National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit Program USDA Agricultural Conservation Program USDA Water Quality Incentive Project USDA Small Watershed Program USDA Rural Clean Water Program USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program Title 16 Section 1455b 16 U.S.C. 1455b Title 33 Section 1251et seq. 33 U.S.C. 1251et seq. Volume 104 Page 1388 104 Stat. 1388 Public Law 101-508