Agencies sign off on responsibilities for regulating clean water, livestock

By Leah Beth Ward, Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA -- Two state agencies responsible for livestock and clean water have a new agreement they say will allow them to be more effective regulators.

The departments of Ecology and Agriculture signed the new memorandum of understanding Oct. 30 after months of working out their respective responsibilities under state laws governing the management of manure to avoid water pollution.

"We wanted to make crystal clear the obligations of each," said Jason Kelly, spokesman for Agriculture. "It's an effort to improve outcomes for water quality."

Sandy Howard, spokeswoman for Ecology, said the agreement spells out how the two state agencies must work together to protect water quality. "This is our roadmap," she said.

Both departments have been criticized for what some residents called "jurisdictional ambiguity" when it came to investigating complaints about possible water contamination from manure discharges at dairies and feedlots.

Under the agreement, Ecology may take action against livestock operations "where human health or environmental damage has or may occur due to potential or actual discharges."

Agriculture will continue to manage the livestock nutrient management program, which inspects dairies to make sure they are following best practices when it comes to disposing of manure.

Both will document all livestock-related complaints and keep track of their status.

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Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Agencies sign off on responsibilities for regulating clean water, livestock

By Leah Beth Ward, Yakima Herald-Republic