DNR on track to complete inspections of confined animal feeding operations

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently reported that its work to comply with a five-year agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 is right on track. DNR staff completed 41 percent of required animal feeding operation inspections in its first two years of the work plan.
“Our biggest effort is to complete the required 8,582 inspections, working to identify any hog, cattle, dairy or other operations that need National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits,” said Barb Lynch, chief of DNR’s field services and compliance. “We agreed to complete about 20 percent of the inspections each year.
“Since the majority of larger facilities in Iowa are confinements, with animals housed under a roof and state law requiring manure containment, most facilities we inspect do not have problems with manure runoff,” she added. “We’ve worked to ensure those that do have problems receive the appropriate enforcement actions, some of which result in new NPDES permits.”
The latest progress report on the work plan is available at www.iowadnr.gov/afo/. Look for the EPA/DNR Workplan heading on the left.
Ongoing work plan efforts include enforcement actions, which are taken as needed, identifying previously unknown animal feeding operations and completing annual training requirements to ensure consistency in inspections and enforcement across Iowa.

Other priorities for field staff include responding to complaints and spills.
During the first year of the agreement, efforts focused on updating state regulations to be consistent with federal requirements and developing standard forms and procedures.
“With additional funding from the state, we were able to hire new staff for this intensive effort,” Lynch said. Training for new and existing staff began in January 2013 and continues each year with ongoing refreshers.