Virginia and other states in the Chesapeake Bay region are allowing too much manure to be spread on farmland, a new report says.
That excess manure — from poultry, cattle and other farm animals — pollutes streams that lead to the bay, the report says.
The report, "Bay Out of Balance," came from the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based advocacy group.
Drawing from scientific studies, the report says that the six bay states do not adequately control pollution from phosphorus, a key ingredient in manure.
"The system we use to prevent phosphorus pollution in the Chesapeake Bay is broken," said Rebecca Sutton, a soil chemist and the report's lead author.
Jeff Corbin, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency special adviser, said the Dec. 7 report focuses attention on a long-simmering problem.
"I don't disagree with any of it," Corbin said of the report.
The EPA released a major bay-cleanup plan last week. But Corbin said the states, not the EPA, will probably have to take the lead in reducing phosphorus pollution because they have more authority to regulate farms.
When properly used, phosphorus helps crops grow. But when it gets into waters leading to the bay, it aids the growth of harmful algae.
The bay states exert some control over phosphorus pollution. In Virginia, for example, large livestock farms must prepare detailed plans for keeping phosphorus and other pollutants out of streams.
But each state deals with phosphorus differently, and none of the approaches is working well, the report says.
All too often, states allow manure to be put on land already saturated with phosphorus, the report says. That excess phosphorus can get into streams through storm runoff and eroded soils. It also can seep into the ground and pollute underground water that leads to streams.
Even if manure spreading ended today, pollution could continue for years from soils loaded with phosphorus, Sutton said.
"We have been more worried about finding ways to dispose of manure than about protecting the bay," she said.
Putting fertilizer and treated sewage sludge on phosphorus-laced land can cause pollution just like manure, the report says.
Bay states need to set uniform limits for phosphorus in soil, and they need to enforce those limits, according to the report.
That would mean a lot of manure and sludge that goes on fields today would have to go somewhere else. The report says states and the farm industry should look into alternatives such as using manure for fuel to create energy.
Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration last month unveiled a bay cleanup plan, which could become part of the EPA blueprint.
Anthony Moore, McDonnell's assistant secretary of natural resources, said the state plan would reduce the flow of phosphorus and other pollutants to the bay through new controls on sewage-treatment plants, among other measures.
Another so-called nutrient that pollutes the bay is nitrogen. But nitrogen comes from many sources, including power plants and vehicle tailpipes.
Phosphorus pollution could be easier to address, Sutton said, because there is one target. "You can really zero in on agriculture."
rspringston@timesdispatch.com
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