New Environmental Protection Agency rule changes announced this week mandating National Pollutant Discharge System (NPDES) permits for intensive livestock and poultry operations will have little impact on hog farms in Bladen County.

These farms are already operating under state regulations that are in many cases more stringent than the ones required by the federal EPA rules. The state is already in the process of preparing to issue NPDES permits to these farms. However, the new federal rules will impact poultry farms across the state, which have enjoyed considerably less scrutiny from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality in the past.

The new changes, which were announced jointly by U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and EPA Administrator Christie Whitman, will require intensive livestock and poultry operations to develop "a comprehensive nutrient plan," which will set limits on the amount of animal manure that can be spread on fields in a given period of time. The submitted plan must meet the approval of the N.C. Division of Water Quality. These plans are already required of North Carolina intensive swine operations.

The rule also requires the farms to file annual reports on the number of animals they produce as well as the amount of waste generated and its disposition. North Carolina's intensive swine operations are already required to file these reports as well.

According to Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Water Benjamin Grumbles, the manure disposal plans are "the heart of the new regulations."

The rule changes expand the number and types of operations that must obtain NPDES permits to operate. Formerly, many operations were exempt from obtaining NPDES permits will be required to obtain them under the rule changes.

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