CUT THE ...

U.S. EPA Orders 13 Chino Dairies to Control Manure Runoff

 Joint effort with local Water Board to protect Santa Ana River

Late last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered 13 Chino area dairies to comply with Clean Water Act requirements to prevent dairy manure waste and other pollutants from reaching local waterways.

Among the violations discovered at the dairies subject to EPA's orders were:

·failure to construct or maintain controls necessary to prevent manure and other contaminants from discharging into waterways

·failure to take reasonable steps to minimize or prevent discharges

·failure to develop and implement Engineered Waste Management Plans

·failure to conduct proper routine inspections of the facility

"To protect the Santa Ana River watershed, we're taking action to ensure these dairies are prepared for the upcoming winter rains, whenanimal waste could flow from their dairies into nearby creeks and streams," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "We will also be evaluating whether monetary penalties are appropriate, pursuant toour authority under the federal Clean Water Act."

Inspections to evaluate permit compliance at dairies are an ongoing focus of the EPA and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Between November 2010and February 2011, Water Board representatives inspected dozens of dairies inthe Chino area.

"The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board welcomes and benefits from its partnership with U.S. EPA in regulating waste discharges from dairies within the Santa Ana Region," said Kurt Berchtold, Executive Officer of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We look forward to continued cooperative activities with the EPA in the future toenforce Clean Water Act requirements at the dairies within our region."

Through its administrative process, the EPA is ordering the following dairies to immediately comply with their permit requirements issued by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board:

·Bachoc Dairy #1

·Bollema Dairy

·Bosch Dairy

·Costa Dairy

·El Dorado Dairy

·Falloncrest Farms/

·Legend Dairy Farms

·Goyenetche Dairy #3

·John Weststeyn Cattle

·H&R Dairy

·Koot Dairy #2

·Legend Dairy Farms #2 

·Syann Dairy #2

·Three D Dairy

The EPA ordersare intended to improve the dairies' environmental performance as quickly aspossible by bringing them into compliance with the basic requirements of their permits.

For moreinformation on the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) program, please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/index.cfm  and click on the following links, NPDES Information, NPDES Permit Program Basics, and concentrated animal feeding operations.

For moreinformation on the EPA Administrative Orders, please visit:

http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/npdes/compliance.html

For moreinformation on the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board,

please visit: http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb8/