NM dairies, enviros agree on waste water rules

The dispute over the so-called dairy rule ended before the hearings had barely begun. On Monday, the dairy industry and clean-water advocates reached an agreement with the state on changes to the dairy rule governing how dairies dispose of waste water. Both sides say they gained some and lost some in the proposed settlement, which must be approved by the Water Quality Control Commission. The location of monitoring wells and frequency of inspection reports, and the use of clay versus synthetic liners in waste water lagoons, were among the sticking points. The dairy industry had requested greater flexibility on both issues. The settlement grants dairies — and the Environment Department charged with enforcing the rule — more flexibility in determining the location and number of wells used to monitor groundwater contamination. It also permits, under certain circumstances, the use of a two-foot clay “liner” beneath waste water lagoons instead of mandating use of a synthetic liner in all cases. Clay costs nearly half as much as a synthetic liner, according to Walter Bradley, business and government director with Dairy Farmers of America. But the settlement requires monitoring wells be placed uphill and downhill of potential pollution sources, and dairies are required to submit quarterly reports on groundwater contamination. If pollution is found in groundwater, dairy farmers will have to upgrade their waste water lagoons from clay to a synthetic liner, or from a synthetic liner to a “double” liner, according to Dan Lorimier, conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande chapter...more