Manure and Oklahoma Waters

[Fraggle145]

Dear all,

I know that some of you may not agree with my politics as has been seen in recent debates of global climate change, however i ask that you please hear me out on an important issue that is going on in our state senate.

As you may have heard in the recent news the Senate recently voted to classify manure as non-hazardous wastes, the bill will now move to the house (though there is talk of a revote in the Senate??). You can find details of the recent vote and lots of news articles if you want more info.

As an environmental scientist I can not stress or say forcefully enough how bad this will be for our state's waters. This carries with it direct implications not only for those systems, but also for human health.

My speciality is studying the toxic golden algae that has currently invaded Lake Texoma along with other lakes in Oklahoma (and previously Texas). I also study the effects of pollution by the common plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus (the process of eutrophication) and other pollution-driven problems in Oklahoma's fresh waters (again with a focus on Texoma). The current golden algal blooms and other harmful and noxious algal blooms embody the direct results of excess plant nutrients through sewage effluents (point source pollution) and agricultural and urban runoff (non-point pollution).

Whether by intention or not, classifying manure (particularly from high-production farms) as non-hazardous wastes will lead to the continuation, and even more seriously, to an increase in the amount of these nutrients entering our state’s waters.

The threat of these manures lies not only in the nitrogen and phosphorus that they contain, but in the numerous other chemicals, such as antibiotics and other drugs, plant and animal hormones, and heavy metals contained in manures that can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems.

The tremendous long-term economic costs of water quality degradation, is well documented in other systems throughout the globe and it is important that the quality of Oklahoma’s water resources must be preserved for our current and future generations.

In the end, manures are indeed hazardous wastes and an attempt to reclassify manures as non-hazardous is a dangerous step in the wrong direction, a mistaken step against the future well-being of Oklahoma’s fresh waters.

thanks for your time in reading this. If you agree with me please take the time to contact as many state senators and representatives as you can and let them know that you are concerned. I can supply you their emails if you pm me.

Edit: I decided just to include the emails. Here they are, should you decide to something.

Senators' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Representatives' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

[Mjcpr]

I will do no such thing. Every time I take the boat out, I pee in the lake. To not let the chickens do it would just be hypocritical of me.

[Fraggle145]

I will do no such thing. Every time I take the boat out, I pee in the lake. To not let the chickens do it would just be hypocritical of me.

you dont poop in the lake do you? :eek:

but seriously, if there are algal blooms going on, chances are you arent going to want to go out on the boat, as there will be dead fish everywhere.

[Tiptonsooner]

E-mails sent......

[slickdawg]

Nitrates are ****ing up our water. Look at the hypoxia issues in the northern Gulf of Mexico, as the Mississippi River drains all of its nitrate-laden water right in that area.

[Fraggle145]

E-mails sent......

:)

:pop:

[Fraggle145]

Nitrates are ****ing up our water. Look at the hypoxia issues in the northern Gulf of Mexico, as the Mississippi River drains all of its nitrate-laden water right in that area.

exactly.

[OUinFLA]

Florida found out the same thing 35 years after they created a straight line canal from Lake Kissisimee to Lake Okeechobee. Huge cattle ranches along the banks caused severe pollution in Florida's largest fresh water resource.
About 80 million dollars later, they reconstructed the river somewhat like it originally was.

[OUHOMER]

look at the illinios River. 30 years ago it was clear as a bell, now it dirty as hell.

[OUHOMER]

Oh and bet if you follow the money on this deal, chicken ranchers and braums are leading this deal

[OklahomaTuba]

Amen.

**** is some disgusting stuff.

KEEP OKLAHOMA BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fugue]

who would have thought that poop would bring both sides together?

[olevetonahill]

This is a chicken**** thread !
wheres Corns email thingy ?

[Fraggle145]

who would have thought that poop would bring both sides together?

nobody wants to drink poop. and just for the record I am in the middle (more apathetic than anything, but I couldnt let this one go). I am just pro-environment :D


This is a chicken**** thread !
wheres Corns email thingy ?

Who is corn?

[olevetonahill]

nobody wants to drink poop. and just for the record I am in the middle (more apathetic than anything, but I couldnt let this one go). I am just pro-environment :D



Who is corn?
St senator from this neck of the chicken .

[picasso]

look at the illinios River. 30 years ago it was clear as a bell, now it dirty as hell.
you can thank Arkansas chicken farms for that. and it only took 4 years. it was clear in '87, dirty by '91.

[SoonerTerry]

Thanks for the info.

[Fraggle145]

[email protected],

he is this guy

[Fraggle145]

just wanted to bump this thread be4 bed so that everyone that isnt a night owl can check it out in the morning.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

So are some foods grown using hazardous wastes? ;)

[Harry Beanbag]

who would have thought that poop would bring both sides together?


Poop has a long tradition of bringing people together on the SO. :texan:

[Fraggle145]

:les: I just crapped myself!!!

[OklahomaTuba]

Ok, the likker has worn off, I can wear my evil conservative shirt now...

https://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/13614/1/www.palmcoastd.com/ows-img/glennbeck/products/clean-air-water-t-shirt.gif

:)

[KC//CRIMSON]

What about the "The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry"

http://www.weitzlux.com/toxictortlawsuit/lawyerattorney/ok/oklahoma_18937.html

[Fraggle145]

What about the "The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry"

http://www.weitzlux.com/toxictortlawsuit/lawyerattorney/ok/oklahoma_18937.html

what do you mean? If this legislation were to pass they would have more problems than they could deal with, JMO.

[SleestakSooner]

When I sold waterworks supplies in western Oklahoma one of the biggest problems for many who were operating the rural water districts in each county was run off and seepage into the ground of nitrates from fertilizers used to grow the crops.

Eventually this reaches the underground water supply. The government set limits were being surpassed, sometimes three to four times the allowed amounts.

The only solution for this was a VERY expensive osmosis filtration system. Most RWD's are not, and never will be, able to afford that.

[KC//CRIMSON]

what do you mean? If this legislation were to pass they would have more problems than they could deal with, JMO.


The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is the lead public health agency responsible for implementing the health-related provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) for every state in the United States. The ATSDR has established a relationship with Oklahoma for the general safety for the people of the state for toxic pollutants and diseases. The ATSDR identifies polluted sites and takes the appropriate actions to resolve the problem. Below is the entire report from the ATSDR describing their relationship with the State of Oklahoma, which includes all activities the ATSDR is persuing in this state, such as clean up of a pollutant from groundwater, air, or soil, and how such a pollutant will effect the public's health.

[Chuck Bao]

Fraggle, thanks for posting this.

What are they thinking?

You've got my attention with golden algal blooms on Lake Texoma. Someone probably already posted this link about golden algae, but I'll post it again anyway. Scary stuff! First detected in North America in 1985 in Texas?

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/golden_alga.htm

[Jeopardude]

But, Fraggle, you defecate too. This makes you a hypocrite who wants greater governmental control, socialist, by scaring us.


:rolleyes:



I'm writing my milquetoast senator right now/

[Fraggle145]

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is the lead public health agency responsible for implementing the health-related provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) for every state in the United States. The ATSDR has established a relationship with Oklahoma for the general safety for the people of the state for toxic pollutants and diseases. The ATSDR identifies polluted sites and takes the appropriate actions to resolve the problem. Below is the entire report from the ATSDR describing their relationship with the State of Oklahoma, which includes all activities the ATSDR is persuing in this state, such as clean up of a pollutant from groundwater, air, or soil, and how such a pollutant will effect the public's health.

I guess I dont understand where you are going with this... Are you asking why havent they said/done anything? I have no idea. Or are you asking if they would be able to take care of it should the legislation be released? I know that this would increase the amount and number of sites that became polluted... They already ave their hands full with those sites, especially with Tar Creek, I am pretty sure of that. So I guess I really need to know more what aspect of ATSDR you are getting at to address your question...

[Fraggle145]

Fraggle, thanks for posting this.

What are they thinking?

You've got my attention with golden algal blooms on Lake Texoma. Someone probably already posted this link about golden algae, but I'll post it again anyway. Scary stuff! First detected in North America in 1985 in Texas?

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/golden_alga.htm

yup it is originally from Europe, but we still arent sure if it was actually endemic to the system and just never had the right nutrient balance to become prevalent or if it invaded up through Texas... Either way it is scary stuff, Harmful Algal Blooms are becoming a big problem worldwide due to the increases in nutrient use, what is scarier still is that some of these algae can kill people, (but not golden algae).

[Fraggle145]

.

[Dio]

Too late- Norman water already tastes like ****.

[Fraggle145]

Too late- Norman water already tastes like ****.

Agreed, but imagine what it will taste like with a bunch of chicken ****, animal antibiotics and hormones, and additional trace metals in it... :eek: