New Mexico Dairy Farmers to Protect Groundwater
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
Dairy farms in southern New Mexico have submitted a plan to the state that will help prevent groundwater contamination beneath their properties
Dairy farms in southern New Mexico have submitted a plan to the state that will help prevent groundwater contamination beneath their properties.
Shallow groundwater surrounding 11 neighboring dairy farms in southern New Mexico is contaminated with high levels of nitrates, chloride and salts. One source of that contamination comes from cow manure washing off the farms on rainy days. Dairymen like Ed De Ruyter, who runs a 2,000 cow farm just south of Las Cruces, are supposed to catch that wastewater in onsite lagoons.
"When we started here 40 years ago, we started with manure-lined lagoons and that was approved practice at the time," De Ruyter said.
At a public hearing this week, all 11 dairies agreed to line their lagoons with heavy plastic to prevent seepage. They'll also pay for routine groundwater monitoring and analysis.
Source: Fronteras
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