Cleaning Up Industrial Dairy Farms in New York

Unlike towns and cities, which have sewage treatment plants that are strictly regulated and tested to create a non-polluting discharge, CAFO animal waste is not monitored and can be disposed of in close proximity to public drinking water supplies.

Case Overview

New York is the country’s fourth largest milk-producing state with more than 600,000 dairy cows, each of which produces about 120 pounds of waste per day. The way this manure is stored and disposed of can have serious implications for human health and water quality. Over the last several years, industrial-sized dairies have been responsible for numerous water contamination incidents.

Unlike towns and cities, which have sewage treatment plants that are strictly regulated and tested to create a non-polluting discharge, CAFO animal waste is not monitored and can be disposed of in close proximity to public drinking water supplies.

In 2015 alone, there were over 40 documented cases of water contamination caused by animal waste from concentrated animal feeding operations (commonly known as “CAFOs”). In 2017, one of the largest facilities in the state was responsible for two manure spills in the span of one week — one of the spills entered Cayuga Lake and was found to be “precariously close” to local water supplies.

CAFOs typically store liquid animal manure in a large pit before spreading it on nearby fields. Because these practices pose a significant risk of water pollution, the Clean Water Act requires CAFOs to obtain a permit. Under federal law, a CAFO permit must include the facility’s “nutrient management plan” setting forth how it will manage its waste so as not to pollute waters.

Cows at a factory farm.
Industrial livestock facilities are the largest polluters of the deadly gases ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. (Shutterstock)

Case Updates

An industrial hog facility in North Carolina.
May 1, 2018 Press Release: Victory

New York Supreme Court Strikes Down Department of Environmental Conservation’s Permit for Mega-dairies

Illegal permit allowed industrial animal operations to prepare pollution prevention plans without agency oversight or public input, threatening drinking and recreational waters

An industrial cattle feedlot.
April 12, 2017 Press Release

Environmental Groups Fight Department Of Environmental Conservation’s Toothless Industrial Animal Facility Permits

Current permits fail to protect drinking and recreational waters from untreated animal waste at industrial animal facilities

February 24, 2016 Article

Lessons from Flint: Preventing a Drinking Water Crisis in NY

Like the crisis in Flint, Michigan, a lack of government action now to safeguard public health against agriculture pollution could leave a lasting impact with dangerous consequences.