Planning to expand or build new livestock facilities?

Are you planning to build or expand animal housing (like barns or pens) or facilities for handling, milking, or egg sorting at a new or existing confined feeding operation (CFO)? Are your livestock numbers or manure storage needs increasing? 

“Identifying manure storage or collection areas at your CFO during the planning stages can help you determine which facilities need to be permitted,” says Vince Murray, AOPA engineer and co-chair of the Technical Advisory Group. “This can help avoid additional costs or delays once construction begins and prevent issues with obtaining a permit under the Agricultural Operation Practices Act (AOPA).” For more information on obtaining a permit, click here.

The AOPA and its regulations require manure storage and collection areas at CFOs to have a naturally occurring protective layer or constructed liner between the facility and the upper most groundwater resource below the site. The groundwater protection requirements for layers or liners vary depending on the type of facility and manure.

To understand which parts of the CFO must meet these requirements, refer to the recently updated Technical Guideline: Identifying Manure Storage Facilities and Manure Collection Areas at Confined Feeding Operations. This guideline outlines the specific protective layer or liner requirements for different manure types and describes features and functional areas in these facilities based on typical production systems. Four types of livestock facilities are described: dairy, swine, poultry and feedlots. If your facility or production system isn’t covered, contact the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) for guidance.

“Do your plans include a need to temporarily suspend the use of your CFO or manure storage facility? Permits issued by the NRCB and deemed permits under AOPA do not expire, so you won’t see any changes to your permit status,” says Murray. “However, it is important to maintain the integrity of the facilities while not in use.”

As well, AOPA requires manure to be removed from a storage facility within one year of it no longer being used, unless the NRCB directs otherwise. The Temporary Suspension of Manure Storage Facilities Technical Guideline provides procedures that can minimize the risk to groundwater when not using a storage over the short-term. This guideline focusses on earthen liquid manure storage facilities due to the increased risks posed by liquid manure.