FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Aug. 15, 2002
OLYMPIA - Of 630 dairies in Washington, 620 met the July 1 deadline to submit pollution management plans to their local conservation districts for approval - a 98 percent compliance rate.
"The dairy industry has set a marvelous example of coming together and working with us as partners to address real environmental problems," said Department of Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons. "If we had a 98 percent compliance rate in every industrial sector, we would see a lot fewer environmental problems in this state."
"Now we hope to see a similar effort made to fully implement farm plans over the next 18 months," said Dave Peeler, a senior water-quality manager with Ecology. "If we can sustain this rate of improvement, our waters will continue to get measurably cleaner."
Peeler pointed to progress in cleaning up the Nooksack (Whatcom County) and Yakima river watersheds, where a majority of the state's dairies are located.
"As a result of a partnership among dairies, irrigators, conservation technicians and inspectors, both the Yakima and Nooksack rivers are getting cleaner," he said.
When the legislature passed new requirements in 1998 for managing dairy wastes, it was not uncommon for Ecology inspectors to measure fecal coliform units in the 50,000 to 100,000 range in water samples from farm-side creeks.
The maximum amount allowed by the state is 100 units per 100 milliliters of water.
Today, inspectors commonly measure less than 10 units of bacteria from many of the same sampling locations.
The 10 dairies that failed to meet the deadline for approved farm plans have each received penalties of $100. The dairies are Vern Anderson Dairy of Buckley; Eppinga Farms, Monroe; Foster Farms - Steven Foster, Carnation; Raleigh Good Dairy, Burlington; Kenneth Kosters Dairy, Duvall; Kosterland Dairy, Monroe; Pine View Dairy, Arlington; CVP Dairy - Curtis Van Putten, Marysville; Blue Moon Dairy - Douglas VanderPol, Ferndale; and James Wedam Dairy, Silver Creek.
The law calls for penalties to be issued monthly until the dairies have submitted farm plans. Farm plans must be fully implemented by Jan. 2004.
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