North Carolina debates on solution for Hog Waste
It has been 10 years since any new lagoons for Hog Waste were allowed to be constructed due to environmental and health concerns. This ban is set to expire in September of this year (2007).
Fact: North Carolina is the nations second largest Swine producer, generating $6.7 billion in sales every year, 46,000 jobs, and 10 million pigs that produce 13 million pounds of urine and manure everyday!!!
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The waste usually gets flushed to open lagoons which farmers use as fertilizer. The problem comes when these lagoons accidentally leak into rivers during floods. It causes health and environmental risks and public nuisance.
New technologies are being discussed to create methods of handling all this waste. One proposal utilizes lagoons to capture methane gas to generate electricity. This kind of technology would in essence create a form of sustainability that benefits our need to transition from coal burning energy to renewable energy. This is an issue people should be made more aware of in order to promote environmentally friendly solutions. My two cents for the day...
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I have to agree. We are wasting a great resource not only with livestock waste, but human waste as well.
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