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Write a few sentence about animal waste?
Animal waste from farms and livestock/poultry and dairy production operations can severely threaten water quality if not managed properly. Manure generated by livestock has been returned to the soil to improve  fertility. The USDA and USEPA recognize that land application is the best method of utilizing animal manures, however, recent trends have raised concerns of increased water quality impairment. In order to stay economically competitive, most commercial livestock and poultry operations have increased the number of animals. Often, more manure is generated than can be safely applied to the soil immediately surrounding that facility. Consequently, waste treatment technologies must be upgraded, and animal waste BMPs must be implemented and used more efficiently.

The concentration of livestock in factory farms leads to a buildup of animal waste in the areas where these livestock operations reside. The enormous volumes of waste cannot be assimilated by natural processes, and therefore require special treatment. In the majority of cases, the systems used to treat animal waste are inadequate. Waste is pumped into open air pits called "lagoons", and from there, liquid manure is sprayed onto fields. The amount of waste applied often exceeds what the crops can take up, leaving the rest to escape into the air or runoff into surface waters. Such outdated and improper treatment of animal waste can lead to serious pollution problems. Improper collection and disposal of untreated animal waste can harm groundwater and human health. Nutrients and bacteria from animal waste can cause fish kills and harm shellfish in contaminated streams, creeks, and estuaries. In addition, dangerous and offensive odors and other air pollutants are also emitted, often making life for farm neighbors intolerable. Finally, because antibiotics are routinely used on factory farms (to compensate for unsanitary growing conditions and to promote slightly faster livestock growth), they promote development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria that are present in animal waste.


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