The Clean Water Act regulations for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) were changed in December 2002. These newly revised regulations change the permit requirements for some livestock operations. Some facilities that did not need permits will be required to have them. Other livestock producers will encounter additional requirements. The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) offers a General Permit which provides sufficient coverage for most CAFOs. Assistance is available. This brochure is designed to help you determine if you need to apply for a permit and to find the assistance you need.

Is my operation an animal feeding operation (AFO) according to federal regulatory definitions?
There are two criteria to define AFOs. An AFO (a) confines animals at least 45 days in a year, and (b) there is no grass or other vegetation growing in the confinement area.

Do I need a permit for my operation?
The answer is yes, if any one of the following conditions apply:

1. Yours is a Large CAFO as defined by Table 1.
2. Yours is a Medium CAFO as defined by Table 1 and
   1. A man-made ditch carries wastewater from the operation, or
   2. Animals come into contact with surface water running through the confinement area.
3. Your operation has been formally designated a federal CAFO by the State of Oregon because it was found to be adding pollutants to waters of the state.
4. Your operation confines animals in a building or on a prepared surface for more than four months per year and has a wastewater control facility.

1. The basic concept has not been changed. That says that all manure and runoff from rainfall and snowmelt must be captured and kept out of streams except when a storm event exceeds the 25 year –24 hour storm for your area. Liquid manure storage tanks and basins must have a depth marker.
2. The regulation has been broadened so that poultry producers with dry manure handling systems are required to have a permit if they qualify according to size as defined in Table 1.
3. In Oregon, livestock operations which
   1. qualify as either medium or large CAFOs according to the federal guidelines (Table 1),
   2. have been designated a CAFO by ODA, or
   3. Have wastewater control facilities required to be covered under the Oregon CAFO General Permit. The Oregon CAFO General Permit holders must prepare an animal waste management plan which is a detailed description of facilities and operations with respect to containment, treatment, storage, and disposal of waste and wastewater. The plan also describes how compliance with permit conditions and water quality laws will be achieved and maintained.
4. The goal of the Oregon Department of Agriculture is that each permitted CAFO will receive one routine inspection per year by an ODA Livestock Water Quality Specialist.

Land Grant Universities
Alaska
Cooperative Extension Service
Contact Fred Sorensen:
907-786-6311
http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/
University Publications:
http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/

Idaho
University of Idaho
Cooperative Extension System
Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025
http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html
University Publications:
http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html

Oregon
Oregon State University
Extension Service
Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
University Publications:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/

Washington
Washington State University
WSU Extension
Contact Bob Simmons:
360-427-9670 ext. 690
http://wawater.wsu.edu/
University Publications:
http://pubs.wsu.edu/

Northwest Indian College
Contact Michael Cochrane: 360-392-4299
mcochrane@nwic.edu or
http://www.nwic.edu/

Water Resource Research Institutes
Water and Environmental Research
Center (Alaska)
http://www.uaf.edu/water/

Idaho Water Resources
Research Institute
http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/

Institute for Water and Watersheds
(Oregon)
http://water.oregonstate.edu/

State of Washington
Water Research Center
http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA, Region 10
The Pacific Northwest
http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/

Office of Research and Development,
Corvallis Laboratory
http://www.epa.gov/wed/

For more information contact
Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or
seago.jan@epa.gov

Does the U.S. Department of Agriculture have any programs that can assist land owners in meeting manure handling issues?
Yes, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extensive technical knowledge and a number of practices that can be helpful in manure management. In Oregon, you may contact your local NRCS office. You may get the phone number of your local office from the telephone directory or fromthe NRCS web site (www.or.nrcs.usda.gov).

Can I contact the Environmental Protection Agency to better understand the federal requirements for pollution control from CAFOs?

Yes, the US EPA contact in their Seattle office is:

David Domingo

NPDES Permit Unit

US Environmental Protection Agency

1200 6th Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 553-0583

domingo.david@epa.gov

Yes, you may contact your local county office or you may also contact either of the following. They have both participated in detailed discussions of the regulations and are prepared to assist you.

Gail Glick AndrewsRandy Mills

Bioresource EngineeringOSU/Umatilla Co. Ext. Office

Oregon State University721 SE 3rd Ave., Suite 3

Corvallis, OR 97331Pendleton, OR 97801-3056

(541) 737-6294(541) 278-5403

gail.glick.andrews@oregonstate.edurandy.mills@oregonstate.edu

A cooperative program consisting of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
and
the Land Grant Colleges and Universities.

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