Poultry loophole closes

The Virginia government has moved to close a loophole through which hundreds of thousands of tons of poultry waste have flowed, a regulatory tightening that should help stem the release of algae-causing nutrients into the Shenandoah River.

The State Water Control Board late last month approved the change, establishing controls for "end users" of poultry litter, mostly farmers, who use it as fertilizer and even as feed for cattle. Previously, only litter used by poultry farmers was regulated, allowing up to 80 percent of the waste in Virginia to evade regulation as growers sold or moved it to neighboring, "off-site" farms, according to Shenandoah Riverkeeper Jeff Kelble.

The new standards set limits on the rate that litter is applied to land, establish buffer zones for streams and sinkholes and require waste to be properly stored. With tough economic times hitting the industry, the state also took into account growers' concerns by reducing the burden of record-keeping.

The amendment arises from a 1999 regulation that placed limits and reporting requirements on the spreading of poultry waste, which along with other forms of runoff is considered a factor in the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. There's a growing market for poultry litter because of its low cost and its effectiveness as a source of nitrogen and phosphorous.

Poultry farms in the Valley generate about 500,000 tons of waste each year, and growers have recognized the pollution problem and taken steps to contain it. According to the Virginia Poultry Federation, they have built litter storage buildings, instituted nutrient management programs and reduced the phosphorous content of litter by 20 percent through the use of the enzyme phytase in feed. Poultry companies have established a litter hotline and marketing program to move the litter away from areas where farms are concentrated.

That kind of voluntary effort, backed up by appropriate regulation, should do much to help the river.