CAFO - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Rule Workgroup

Water Protection
Program

Water Pollution
Control Branch

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)
Rule Workgroup

What is the CAFO Workgroup?

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What is the CAFO Workgroup?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Regulations and Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in 2003. This federal regulatory action was to strengthen the existing regulatory program for CAFOs and further improve water quality. Although EPA’s 2003 final rule is similar to Missouri’s current CAFO program, there are standards in the final rule that are more stringent than Missouri’s current regulations. EPA requires that these deficient areas be updated in order to maintain state delegation for the CAFO program. If the rulemaking is not undertaken, Missouri may not continue to as the delegated authority for administration of the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System requirements.

In order to maintain delegation, Missouri must adopt certain provisions of the EPA final rule. Three main revisions to Missouri’s rules have been identified and proposed for rulemaking: 1) The threshold for swine weighing less than 55 pounds for Class 1 operations must be revised from 15,000 to 10,000; 2) Application rates for process wastes must include limits that will minimize phosphorus transport from the field to surface waters; and 3) Missouri’s current annual reporting requirements must be expanded to include all of the federal requirements.

There are specific requirements of the final rule that Missouri should further evaluate and determine if program changes are appropriate. These specific changes are not required to maintain delegation. These areas will be examined and discussed through this workgroup.

Workgroup Bulletin PDF