Workers Trying to Contain Effects of Big Spill Upstate(NY)

NY Times ^ | August 15, 2005 | MICHELLE YORK

[neverdem]

CARTHAGE, N.Y., Aug. 13 - For much of the summer, Dustan Wisner, 15, and his friends have whiled away the days fishing the banks of the Black River.

On Friday, he and his friends were beside the river again - no poles in sight. This time, they were learning that a toxic spill was snaking its way through the slow current and killing vast numbers of fish. "That stinks," Dustan said.

And it did.

The toxin was liquid cow manure - three million gallons in all - creating a murky plume that stretched for miles and giving unfortunate new meaning to the river's name.

The manure did not so much spill as gushed from an earthen reservoir at one of the largest dairy farms in the state, Marks Farm, in the nearby town of Lowville.

The police were notified on Thursday morning, but the callers did not know when the contamination actually began. "For some reason, one of the walls of the reservoir gave way and it started flowing into Black River," said James M. Martin, the emergency manager for Lewis County, which includes Lowville.

Workers tried to shore up the pit, but so much manure escaped that the contamination grew to roughly a fourth the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. "It started killing all the fish," Mr. Martin said. "Black River is known for its fish."

Trout, bass, pickerel, pike and walleye, to be exact. As the manure traveled the river's northwest current through several Adirondack communities toward Watertown, a city of 25,000, and on to Lake Ontario, it sapped the water of oxygen and poisoned the fish with ammonia. Hours later, fish began to bloat and float to the surface.

"It's the biggest fish kill I've ever seen," said Frank Flack, the regional fisheries manager...

[neverdem]

Alec Johnson/Watertown Daily Times via Associated Press
Dead fish piled up last week in the Black River, not far from Watertown, N.Y., and Lake Ontario.

This is next to Fort Drum, NY.(Google Map)

[SandRat]

Did Hillery go skinny dipping again?

[neverdem]

FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.

[LauraleeBraswell]

excuse my language but shi* happens.

[HangnJudge]

Best look before you leap in this stream

[neverdem]

It's Time for the Truth, When Body Clock Strikes 13

The Claim: Women Get Drunk Faster Than Men

Is Your Medicine Cabinet Making You Fat?

Actos and Avandia are TZDs. Avandamet is Avandia combined with metformin(Glucophage). FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list. Anyone can post these other unrelated links as they see fit.

[Revel]

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The model for factory farming seems to stem by design from Cornell university. The problem it that it is poisoning the land across the country. It is not just a big spill like this that is doing the damage. Farmers are dumping this stuff on too little land and they immune from the damages that it is doing. They are protected by law. Lobbyist's have seen to it. Gone are the days when farmers dumped a fair amount of solid manure on there pastures to fertilize there crops. They are literally turning the soil in there fields to toxic zones with this liquid manure. Sadly the damage is not limited to there fields. It is contaminating the waters supplies of entire towns with nitrate and who knows what else. Nitrate levels in water supplies are above the federal standards for the first time in areas nearby the Fields where this stuff in being dumped. And the federal government expects private well owners and small towns to clean up the water. This is in spite of the fact that recent studies show that in the long wrong this factory farm model does more to hurt the land and food production that the old fashioned model which did not pile more nitrate into the land and water than it could handle. Does this stink! You bet it does. And it is about time that someone puts a stop to it.

[Revel]

Please Excuse a couple of typos in the heat of the moment.

[Old Professer]

That's a very dramatic photograph; but it is almost comical to read that this occurred in the "Black River" downstream from "Lowville" and made public by Frank Flack.


Casting aside the "Opie" image of master Wisner one might be inclined to ask why these throwbacks to a more tranquil age didn't raise an alarm before these prized fish presented themselves belly-up to a hired practioner of the photographic arts.

In times past cows did what cows do where and when they do it and the results made themselves manifest in commensurate quanties downstream and downhill; however, in this enlighted age we dam up all the damm crap and scream bloody murder when the dam breaks.

My opinion is, they need to invest a great deal of money in waste management and concentrate on point-source emissions with a particular focus on large-scale discharges.

Let no flat rock go uncovered.

[Revel]

"My opinion is, they need to invest a great deal of money in waste management and concentrate on point-source emissions with a particular focus on large-scale discharges."


My thought as a matter of fact are that They need to put a stop to this model all together. It is hell on earth even if the dams do not burst. Imagine if some guy was backing up to a feild near you and dumping thousands of gallons of toxic waste in a field only a hundred feet from your well. Do you think you would have a concern ?

[PAR35]

Actos and Avandia are TZDs. Avandamet is Avandia combined with metformin

But what does that have to do with liquid cow manure?

[HereInTheHeartland]

"Farmers are dumping this stuff on too little land and they immune from the damages that it is doing. They are protected by law."

Actually the water here in Iowa is much cleaner since these people took over.
Why, because there used to be many animals fed outside on concrete lots. What do you think happens to those outside lots when it rain? Thats right it all gets washed into wtare systems.
The large outfits spread manure in the fall when the crops come out, and in the spring before planting and knife the manure into the ground. They must do stringent record keeping of how much goes on. There is no better plant fertilizer.
Yes they do have accidents, some very bad like one in NY sounds like.
I dislike corportate animal agriculture for many other reasons, but water quality issues wont fly if you look at the facts.

[Revel]

But what does that have to do with liquid cow manure?


Please understand that this is like frozen orange juice concentrate. It is far more toxic than normal cow manure. It is being dumped on feilds that are 20 foot above the water table(Aquifer) with nothing but a gravel topping. It gets into the water supply in minutes.

[Old Professer]

History seems to be fraught with collisions between nature and man; let's assume for a brief moment that the native americans had an advanced form of communication and, upon migrating from the colder climes of the northeast and the great lakes area, they came across a tributary downstream from a great bison herd just at the peak thaw.

What sort of comments do you suppose one might have read?

[Revel]

"but water quality issues wont fly if you look at the facts."


The facts are that areas surrounded by agriculture that have never had any problem are now in violation of federal standards for nitrate in drinking water. It is a provable fact, and pretty hard to argue with when using any common sense.

You dump a solid manure that is exposed to the sun on a field with a few feet of soil and several feet of gravel underneath....all just 20 feet above the water table.

Now you dump liquid manure witch is concentrate and runs like water on the same field.

IQ question: Which has a more dramatic effect on the water supply ?

I have been a certified water operator for 20 years. I have a pretty good handle on what this has done. If it has helped in your area under different geological conditions then I am glad. However this model cannot and should not be carried over into all geological environments. Just do a search on goggle for "Nitrate Contamination" if you think I am making this up.

[Revel]

I am sorry that I have to admit that I am confused by your question. I am not sure what you saying.

[Old Professer]

Since you have no "about page", might I ask what your occupation and skill set might be?

[Old Professer]

Shit runs downhill; what do you suggest we do to prevent this?

[neverdem]

But what does that have to do with liquid cow manure?

Nothing directly, but I make the links for the benefit of my health and science ping list. The last two sentences in comment# 6 were:

"FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list. Anyone can post these other unrelated links as they see fit."

Now that NY Times stories must be excerpted, folks must go there to read the whole story. In addition to that, the admin mods told me to post my health and science in chat. When I spy what I think is a good story, the last place I want to post a good story is in chat. I'm not the chatty type.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Our area is different than the area you describe. My comments were meant to apply to Iowa, where a huge amount of the nation's animal agriculture is.
It sounds like in your area there need to be some changes specific to your soils and water tables.