New Animal Odor Control Rules Take Effect Monday
RALEIGH -- The state Division of Air Quality (DAQ) issued enforcement guidelines today for North Carolina’s new animal odor rules that take effect on Monday.
Citizens with complaints about animal odors should contact one of the DAQ regional offices, which are located in Wilmington, Fayetteville, Washington, Raleigh, Mooresville, Asheville and Winston-Salem. (Phone numbers are listed below.) DAQ regional offices also can provide citizens with free copies of a brochure describing the new odor rules and sample logbooks for recording odor problems.
“The new odor rules are a first step toward reducing odors from animal operations,” DAQ Director Alan Klimek said. “We will respond to animal odor complaints as quickly and fairly as possible. Our inspectors will be able to respond much more effectively if citizens help us by keeping daily logbooks that describe odor problems.”
In addition to the free brochure and sample logbooks for recording odor problems, the DAQ has taken a number of steps to begin enforcing the new odor rules, including:
Developing a data base to track odor complaints and help identify the source of problems.
Working closely with other environmental and health agencies to help address odor problems.
Shifting personnel from other activities to help evaluate and respond to odor problems.
The state Environmental Management Commission (EMC) adopted the temporary odor rules in February under a directive from the General Assembly. Before adopting permanent rules, the EMC plans to hold a series of public hearings this summer to gather public input.
The temporary rules establish required management practices that all animal operations must follow, if they meet certain size thresholds and use lagoons and sprayfields to dispose their wastes. Hog farms account for most of the facilities that must comply with the new rules, but some dairy and poultry farms also will be affected.
Only those animal operations using liquid waste-treatment systems, such as lagoons and sprayfields, are covered by the rules. Regulated facilities also must contain at least 250 hogs, 100 cattle, 75 horses, 1,000 sheep, or 30,000 chickens or turkeys. The rules will not apply to smaller facilities or those with dry litter operations, which include most poultry farms.
The odor rules are aimed at reducing objectionable odors beyond the boundaries of animal operations, phased-in by increasing levels of control. As a first step, all animal operations that meet the size thresholds and use liquid waste-treatment systems must comply with a list of required management practices for controlling odors by June 1, 1999. For example, farm operators are not allowed to use sprayfields when winds could cause wastewater to drift offsite, except during emergencies when waste lagoons are in danger of spilling.
As a second level of control, the DAQ will require farms to prepare detailed best management plans for controlling odors at all new or modified animal operations and existing facilities that cause objectionable odors. These best management plans will contain a list of low-cost actions for reducing odors. If objectionable odors persist, facilities will have to submit modified plans and eventually could be required to install odor-control equipment, such as lagoon covers or “wash walls” that filter odors from barn ventilation systems.
DAQ inspectors will determine whether animal operations have objectionable odors based on various factors, including personal observations, complaints from nearby residents, and health studies. Other factors to be considered include the nature, intensity, frequency, pervasiveness and duration of odors.
Citizens will greatly assist this process if they keep daily logbooks recording odor problems. These logbooks should include specific information that will help describe odor events, including: dates, times, temperatures, wind directions, duration and intensity of odors, and suspected source of the problems. The DAQ will use this information to help identify patterns and target problem areas.
For more information about the rules or how to report odor problems, citizens should contact their appropriate DAQ regional office. Regional offices also can send citizens free copies of the odor brochure and the sample logbooks for recording odor problems. Following is a list of DAQ regional offices, with their phone numbers and the counties they include:
Wilmington, (910) 395-3000, including Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties.
Washington, (252) 946-6481, including Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Greene, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington and Wayne counties.
Fayetteville, (910) 486-1541, including Anson, Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties.
Raleigh, (919) 571-4700, including Chatham, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Johnston, Lee, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson.
Mooresville, (704) 663-1699, including Alexander, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties.
Winston-Salem, (336) 771-4600, including Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties.
Asheville, (828) 251-6208, including Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey.
Citizens can view a copy of the odor brochure and rules on the DAQ’s Internet website, at http://daq.state.nc.us/. They also can obtain the brochure by writing to the Division of Air Quality, P.O. Box 29580, Raleigh, NC 27626-0580, Attn: Odor Brochure.
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Contact: Tom Mather (919) 715-7408
Date released: 02/26/99
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