[ad_1]
The floodwaters have caused the worst damage to hog farms in North Carolina in nearly two decades, with more than 5,000 animals dying and dozens of lagoons discharging pollutants into streams.
Pork industry officials said on Wednesday they did not expect much more damage to farms, although some rivers continue to rise in the state. But environmental groups are asking the industry to move the lagoons to the floodplains to reduce the risk of future big storms.
"It's the biggest storm we've probably had to face," said Andy Curliss, general manager of the North Carolina Pork Council.
Florence has killed 5,500 of the 8.9 million hogs and pigs in North Carolina, the state said.
Photo:
Callaghan O 'Hare / Bloomberg News
Curliss said farmers have moved 20,000 pigs to higher land, which has prevented a higher death toll. "From our point of view, there are a lot of heroines," he said, adding that the media reported that damage to several of the state's 3,300 active pork waste lagoons was exaggerated.
Hurricane Florence killed 5,500 of the state's 8.9 million hogs and pigs, the state said. That's more than the 2,800 dead hogs during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, but far less than the 21,000 dead hogs during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, according to council figures on the pork.
About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys were killed by Florence, reported Wednesday the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services of North Carolina.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has indicated that it has received reports of failures or structural failures in at least two lagoons containing pig waste. A breach in Duplin County was considered a total loss and more than 2.2 million gallons were dumped, said Megan Thorpe, spokesman for the department.
The agency said the heavy rains had caused the manure dump in 21 additional lagoons. He had no estimate of the total amount dumped on the farms.
Waste dumped in lagoons can contaminate groundwater, potentially including pathogens such as salmonella, insecticides and pharmaceuticals.
President Donald Trump met with the leaders of the areas most affected by Hurricane Florence and saw the damage. Photo: AP
"It's clear that a lot of waste is entering the water," said Bob Edwards, a professor of sociology at East Carolina University, who studied waste lagoons.
Edwards said the storm will renew calls for the relocation of about 60 hog farms and associated lagoons to the floodplains. According to the National Environmental Protection Agency, a state program has bought farms and moved more than 100 lagoons since Hurricane Floyd.
Curliss said the industry supported the program, but he defended the lagoon system, saying it had received approval from federal and state environment officials.
"We have spent a lot of money, time and effort to look at alternatives, and for the moment there are none," he said. "Lagoon technology is widely accepted."
The water surrounds two hog barns and a waste storage pond near Kinston, North Carolina on Monday. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has reported receiving reports of at least two lagoons containing pork waste.
Photo:
Casey Toth / Raleigh News & Observer / Zuma Press
Outdoor retention ponds normally develop a pink hue of bacteria that break down pork waste. The bottoms of the basins are covered with solid pig waste that sinks naturally to form a mud.
Before Florence hit the state late last week, many hog farmers had lowered the level of lagoons by spraying manure on neighboring crops. The practice has been criticized because pulverized material can also be washed away by heavy rains. Under the law, farmers must stop spraying 24 hours before a storm will occur.
Lorenda Overman told Goldsboro, North Carolina, that the preparations had been successful at her two farms, which included 11,500 hogs and pigs and two lagoons.
After the storm had dumped 30 inches of rain, roads were closed following floods and a soybean harvest was less than 4 feet of water, she added. But a lagoon lost behind his house still had 12 inches of clear space, while his second lagoon still had 10 inches.
"The lagoons are high," she said, "but they are detainees."
Source link
