Susquehanna River Near Harrisburg

By Matthew Ehrhart, Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Pennsylvania

A flurry of debates has recently arisen surrounding American Rivers’ designation of the Susquehanna River as the nation’s most endangered river. While it is true that the Susquehanna River and its vast network of tributaries are not the most polluted waters in the nation, most scientists agree that the Susquehanna watershed is endangered by a host of growing insults, with sediment, phosphorous and nitrogen pollution the largest threat to local rivers, streams and to the Chesapeake Bay.

Abandoned mine drainage is still a significant problem in Pennsylvania. However, pollution from runoff from the growing number of lawns, construction sites, parking lots, inadequately treated industrial and sewage discharge and even vehicle exhaust has eclipsed the impact of abandoned mine drainage. In fact, such runoff pollutes over 5,600 stream miles and over 31,000 lake acres in the state, much of which contamination lies within the Susquehanna basin. But the largest source is agriculture and, more and more, from the excess manure produced by livestock. Agriculture is the source of approximately 45 percent of the nitrogen and 55 percent of the phosphorous that Pennsylvania contributes to the Bay. In contrast, industrial discharges, wastewater treatment plants and other point sources combined contribute approximately 25 percent of the phosphorous and 13 percent of the nitrogen.

Pennsylvania’s landscape and cultural tradition depends upon environmentally and economically viable farming, and farmers have demonstrated that if given proper tools, they can reduce pollution and help improve the health of local waterways. There are many tools currently available and others on the horizon. For example, reducing excess nitrogen and phosphorous in livestock feed can reduce manure nutrients and their impact on water quality while also cutting manure management costs without decreasing production. Currently, phosphorous levels in dairy rations are 130 to 160 percent of what the cow actually needs.

As a result of the Phosphorous Index and other changes to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) and Nutrient Management regulations, many livestock producers will need strategies to manage the excess manure that is produced on the farm. Lowering phosphorous levels in dairy feed could reduce pollution from cow manure by 30 or 40 percent while providing significant financial savings to the dairy industry because there is less excess manure to manage. Similar reductions have been achieved with poultry feed modifications.

In an effort to further reduce agriculture pollution to nearby rivers and streams and provide farmers greater incentives not to sell their land to developers, economically rewarding initiatives, which turn excess manure into a valuable commodity, need to be developed. “Bioenergy” plants, which generate power from manure and other farm products, are already operating on commercial scale in Europe and Canada and at some sites in the United States. Manure can also help restore soil fertility on lands left barren by mining operations. Turning excess manure into compost and “palletized” fertilizer is also possible, but appropriate markets need to be expanded. It is possible for manure to be a valuable resource for farmers and that alternative uses for manure could help stimulate rural economies while keeping farmers farming.

In addition to improving the efficiency of livestock feed and supporting alternative uses for manure, there are supplemental measures that can be used to protect our rivers and streams while also safeguarding, and even enhancing, a farmer’s bottom line. These and other innovative solutions to reduce agricultural water quality impairments are only a part of the solution to maintaining a robust and sustainable agricultural industry in Pennsylvania. In order for cash strapped farmers to implement the necessary conservation measures, policymakers at both the state and federal level must provide the resources that are so critically needed.

Matthew Ehrhart can be contacted at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Harrisburg at 717-234-5550 or by sending email to: mehrhart@savethebay.cbf.org .

6/17/2005