 |
| An anaerobic lagoon in South Carolina. Notice the size and color. |
My post is about an article from Science Daily, which can be found here, that discusses how effective anaerobic lagoons (pictured) actually are at treating waste from hog farms. Anaerobic lagoons are basically large pits into which farmers empty the waste produced by their animals. Because the pits attract large amounts of denitrifying and nitrifying organisms, it was traditionally through that those organisms would effectively treat the waste in the pit. However, new studies are showing that even though those organisms are present, they aren't active. If the waste isn't fully treated, acidification and eutrophication (introduction of natural or artificial substances into an aquatic system via fertilizers or sewage) can occur, which will mess with the local ecosystem by increasing the population of some organisms while decreasing the population of others. In spite of these new findings, and even though better waste treatment methods exist, anaerobic lagoons continue to enjoy widespread use, especially in the Carolinas.
I personally think anaerobic lagoons are disgusting. I went to a farm with a couple of pigs once, and just the four smelled terrible. I can't imagine how horrible a pit filled with waste from thousands of pigs would smell. And to have to go through all that, only to find out that the lagoon wasn't actually doing anything? I think I would file a complaint if I lived near one of these farms. These lagoons should definitely not be legal. The eutrophication and acidification these lagoons can cause is ridiculous, especially since safer - and more effective - waste treatment methods are available. That's not my only worry about the lagoons either, because it seems like anaerobic lagoons are a possible point source of pollution. What about when it rains? The contents of the lagoon seem like they could easily run off and pollute ground water. And what about if there was heavy flooding? Would you want that in your home? In your water supply?
And now some questions for you:
What do you think are some other methods of treating animal waste?
Would you want to live near an anaerobic lagoon?
Do you think the risks posed by the lagoons are serious?
Do you think farms should be held responsible for disposing of the waste from their livestock? If not, who, if anyone, should be?
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that the whole idea of anaerobic lagoons is ridiculous. Just thinking about farmers pouring their animals’ waste into a pit in their yard paints a very repulsive image in my mind. I would also feel bad for the neighbors, who as Kate said, would have to put up with the smell. In class, we learned about how wetlands can filter contaminants and stop flooding. However, in anaerobic lagoons, which people thought could treat the waste, the organisms aren’t active. That just goes to show all the waste farmers pour into the pit stays in the pit. I’m really disgusted by the thought that it took all this time for that discovery to be made. In other words, all around the world we have these foul-smelling anaerobic lagoons that don’t do anything! Anaerobic lagoons are pointless to have. Honestly, I think that the farmers were just using the anaerobic lagoons as an excuse for why they wouldn’t dispose of their waste properly. Once again, people are being lazy and it’s not going to have a good impact on the environment. As Kate brought up, when there’s heavy rain, the pits are bound to overflow, and all the waste will be everywhere. Lots of land will be polluted in gross waste, which is nauseating. I wouldn’t want to live next to someone who had an anaerobic lagoon, especially if there was a chance that some of the filthy animal waste could end up in my water supply. So overall, I feel that anaerobic lagoons should be destroyed so people don’t have to put up with the sickening pits of waste anymore. It’s time farmers stepped it up, stopped being lazy, and disposed of their waste in a proper way.
Answer the questions:
1. I think another method of treating animal waste is at a waste treatment plant. By bringing waste to a plant, it will be disposed of properly, in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.
2. No, I would not want to live near an anaerobic lagoon. First off, they smell terrible and I don’t think I could deal with waking up every day to such a disgusting stench. Secondly, anaerobic lagoons look filthy and repulsive, and when I buy a home, I want it to be in a nice area so when people come to visit they won’t be grossed out. Finally, I wouldn’t want to risk the possibility of having some of the animal waste wind up in my water supply. It’s nauseating to think about something like that, but it’s a realistic possibility.
3. Yes, I think the risks posed by the lagoons are serious. As mentioned in the article, acidification and eutrophication are likely to occur if the waste isn’t properly treated. Since it was discovered that the lagoons aren’t actually cleaning the waste, those two outcomes are destined to happen. Right there are two bad things that will harm the environment. And secondly, when it rains a lot, the lagoons will overflow and coat the nearby land with waste. There is always the chance that the waste could get in people’s water supply (who live in the area) and cause some pretty bad health effects.
4. Yes, I think that farms should be held responsible for disposing of the waste from their livestock. After all, I feel that it is the farmer’s responsibility and the farmer’s responsibility alone to care for his animals. I know that a farmer would agree with the above statement. However, part of caring for livestock does involve disposing of animal waste. Since it is the farmer who owns the livestock, I feel that it is their responsibility to make sure the waste is disposed of properly.
Ask more questions:
1. Do you think farmers will keep using anaerobic lagoons even after the discovery was made that they don’t treat the waste in them?
2. Should anaerobic lagoons be illegal?
3. Do you think a law will be passed outlawing anaerobic lagoons?
4. How could you get rid of an anaerobic lagoon?
Add a graphic
Here’s the URL for a graphic that I feel is a good picture of an anaerobic lagoon. When viewing the picture, be sure to take in consideration the size of the lagoon compared to the size of the farm.
http://www.enr.state.nc.us/files/hogs/hogplan.htm
I too think this is disgusting. I can't even stand the smell of a port-a-potty. I would die if I was anywhere near that place. It's got to freakin' suck to have that done for nothing. I think the farmers need to know this is only going to do bad for them, like have a dome put over their city (Simpsons reference).
ReplyDelete1. The same way we treat human waste
2. Hell no, why would anybody?
3. Yes, it could cause serious problems
4. I don't think they can be held responsible until they're aware it's only causing problems. I think the goverment should offer to pay for a new system, and if the farmers say no, then it's they're responsibility.
Okay, why can't the farmers just use their animals' waste for fertilizer? It would certainly save them a few dollars here and there. The whole concept was kinda stupid from the very beginning. Here you have a perfectly fine, absolutely free source of nitrogen for your crops, and you throw it into a pond? That logic makes Snookie look like a bloody genius.
ReplyDeleteResponses
1) I think I've pretty much answered this question
2) Only if I had a job helping to get rid of it and I had a Level A hazmat suit
3) Definitely. How much more serious can you get, dumping animal poo into a lake that will pollute the groundwater? Ok, aside from a nuclear holocaust.
4) I definitely think the farmers are responsible. It's their poop! (Well, not the farmers' poop, their animals' poop. I hope :P )
Questions
1) When did this idea crop up?
2) Why don't these farmers use the manure for fertilizer in the first place?
3) How long has this been going on without anyone realizing that it wasn't doing anything? And how come they didn't realize that until recently?
4) What effect could these lagoons have on the local watershed? A crappy one, perhaps? :P
I think that if it is really the case that these lagoons do not work that they should not be used. But I also can not blame some of the farmers who use them. They were probably told for years as they worked their farms that this method of dealing with the waste was by far the best and maybe even the only way, and as the old saying goes "Old habits die hard." I just hope that all farmers who use this to a large degree in their farm, say using this to clean the waste of thousands of pigs at once, will eventually realize that this method not only does not work, but endangeres the water of them and everyone around them.
ReplyDeleteAnswer the Questions
1) I cannot think of any other ways, probably because I am not well versed on this subject. The only way I can think of, and I am not sure if this would even work on a large scale, is to open up a waste refinery plant, where people could put their waste into some sort of container and take it to the plant where it can be handed off to professionals who know what to do with it.
2) This would have been a gray area for me in the past but not anymore. I would have said yes, but only if it actually worked and there were no other options that were better. But now that I know that this is not the case that my answer is far and away no. It smells, is dangerous to the water near me, and worst of all, IT DOESN'T EVEN WORK. I could forgive it, maybe a little bit if it worked, but no. It is just a useless little hole that actually makes things worse.
3) Again I think it depends. I am not sure about how much waste a pig makes, but I assume that if it were only a few pigs liek 4 or 5 then the waste would not be that big and therefore the risk would decrease as well. But if it were for a major farm that had hundreds of thousands of pigs then the risk would be monumental as the waste would be tremendous and easily able to overflow. It would also increase the pollution tremendously.
4) I think the farmers should be held responsible, but I also think there should be easily accesible options (if there are not already) for farmers who cannot really afford to get rid of all the waste on their own. The options would be something like, maybe an advisor from the township who could come to your farm and help decide which option is best for you depending on the setup in your farm. They could also have plants to take the waste, or people who could come by a farm to pick it up if you give them a call that would operate for free or for a nominal cost per month to have this service available.
Wow this connects the old and new units!!! Great article Kate.
ReplyDelete