The biggest problem for the bay: animal waste

Most sources of nitrogen and phosphorous are strictly regulated, but agriculture gets a pass

Legislation to deal with this problem is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in Annapolis. The bill would require much better management of animal manure and all biosolids disposed on farm land. We wouldn't let a town of 25,000 people dump human manure untreated on open lands; why should we allow the dumping of the equivalent amount of manure from 150,000 chickens without meaningful regulation?

Properly regulating the disposal of raw animal excrement can be achieved at a very small fraction of the cost of other measures to restore the bay, but unless policymakers aggressively address the problem and overcome "big chicken" and the rest of the farm lobby, the bay will only continue to decline as the manure is piled on.

Gerald Winegrad is a former Maryland state senator who chaired the Subcommittee on the Environment and Chesapeake Bay and chairs the Senior Scientists and Policymakers for the Bay. He teaches Chesapeake Bay and wildlife management courses at the University of Maryland. His email is [e-mail].