Water Quality Program - Animal Manure & Waste Management

As the nation's leading producer of dairy products, California faces a challenge in how best to manage the waste and manure produced by over a million cows. Groundwater basins throughout the state have been impaired by animal operations. Managing on-site practices to reduce the nutrient loading to groundwater is an essential task. To address water quality problems around the country and update regulations, the EPA's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Final Rule was issued on December 15, 2002. For general information, please see: General Factsheet on the CAFO Final Rule (pdf).

Articles, spreadsheets, worksheets, and other information on the Dairy Lagoon Nutrient Management website provides dairy operators with tools and information on how to use the nutrients in their pond as a reliable source of nutrients for their crops.