Improvements Recommended for Oklahoma Water-Monitoring System
Posted on: Saturday, 24 September 2005, 21:00 CDT
Sep. 23--An audit of the Agricultural Environmental Management Services division of the state Agriculture Department did not reveal any glaring violations but made recommendations to further improve the water-monitoring system.
At the request of Agriculture Secretary Terry Peach, the state auditor's office analyzed the division's record-keeping and studied the way violations and fines were issued to what are called concentrated animal feeding operations in the state.
State Auditor Jeff McMahan said it is not common for the head of a state agency to request an audit as Peach did, but he indicated that the secretary is dedicated to making sure the division is running properly.
The audit took special aim at poultry producers in the state, who have faced increased controversy on the application of litter -- a mixture of chicken manure and bedding -- to the soil and water.
The producers have been accused of contaminating the Illinois River watershed, which currently has high phosphorus levels partially caused by runoff from Arkansas and Oklahoma poultry farms, according to an Oklahoma Water Resources Board study.
The audit revealed that in 10 out of 45 cases studied educational requirements were not met by operators handling poultry waste. Additionally, violation points or fines were not issued to the producers for the breach in law.
The audit recommended that no renewal certificates be issued to applicators who do not provide the annual report regarding all poultry waste that was applied to the land.
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Source: The Daily Oklahoman
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