The algae bloom that shut down Toledo’s drinking-water supply for two days this summer has put the spotlight on agricultural runoff, although farmland is not the only source of the pollutants that cause the explosive growth of the cyanobacteria, says Roll Call ahead of a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. “Water treatment operators, along with advocacy groups, are urging Congress to consider regulating non-point sources of pollution under the Clean Water Act, noting that farm conservation programs are largely voluntary. But, given the nature of runoff, that will be next to impossible, some critics and farm groups note,” says Roll Call.
Ohio Rep Bob Latta filed a bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require a strategic plan to assess and manage the risks of cyanobacteria in public water supplies. Runoff from fields and small livestock operations is not under federal regulation, although large feedlots and livestock barns are required to have discharge permits. The 2014 farm law, like its predecessors, includes billions of dollars for soil and water conservation projects. The 2014 law also created the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which allows farmers to work together on projects that span a watershed.
Speakers at a fertilizer industry conference said the industry “needs to work on its image with the general public,” says DTN. “Pollution issues in particular have many outside of agriculture calling for farmers to reduce fertilizer usage and for tighter environmental regulations for fertilizer application,” said the DTN story.