Clean Water & Air: Community Conservation

Agriculture

The Idaho Conservation League is working to safeguard communities against agricultural activities that threaten public health and the places we live. As agriculture continues to change, we must strengthen our laws to protect the public health and the environment while supporting innovative ways to address the impacts. Our work on agriculture is focused on:

• toxic mega-dairies
• massive feedlots
• field burning

Toxic Mega-Dairies and Massive Feedlots

In Idaho and across the nation, small-scale farms are being replaced by large-scale farms known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). In Idaho, CAFOs are mainly dairies and beef feedlots and the number of animals raised on these operations is rapidly increasing, causing an increase in public health and environmental problems.

Many Idaho residents who live near these CAFOs have been overwhelmed by noxious odors and polluted drinking water. Living near a CAFO has had a negative imapct on their health, has decreased their property value and diminished their livelihood. Individuals living near CAFOs experience extended periods of time where they cannot open their windows, have a family barbeque or go for walks because of the excessive fumes emanating from nearby CAFOs.

In addition to causing air pollution, massive feedlots and dairies also cause water pollution. Improperly managed manure and wastewater from CAFOs can release into the environment pollutants such as:

• nitrogen
• phosphorus
• heavy metals
• hormones
• ammonia

These pollutants can contribute to illness by contaminating drinking water sources. Currently in areas in the Magic Valley, Weiser and Canyon County, pollution levels are so high that doctors advise pregnant women, babies, and children who live near certain feedlots and dairies not to drink the water in their own homes.

Dairies and feedlots continue to receive exemptions from federal regulations including the Clean Air Act. Lax regulations have made Idaho a haven for large polluting dairies and feedlots. In communities throughout southern Idaho, toxic chemicals and waste threaten air and water quality. In the Magic Valley alone, dairy cows produce as much waste as a city of 4 million people - with no sewage system to protect drinking water for citizens.

Field Burning

Each year, from July to October, North Idaho's vast countryside is filled with smoke. Grass farmers use the technique to remove crop residue.

Smoke and ash cover homes, schools and roads. These field burns are so invasive to Idahoans that from 2001 to 2004, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) received more than 2,700 complaints, according to the Sandpoint-based group, Safe Air for Everyone (SAFE).

Smoke from field burning contains many particles and gases. Microscopic bits of material, called particulate matter (PM), are carried up in the smoke and carried by the wind. The by-products may cause health effects such as:

• irritated eyes, nose, mouth
• increased coughing and wheezing
• increased respiratory illness
• decreased lung function
• possible development of lung disease

There are alternatives to grass burning that protect human health. The Washington State Department of Ecology identified "mechanical residue management" as an alternative to burning fields that is both practical and reasonably available.

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Energy

The Idaho Conservation League is working to defend communities against polluting power generation facitilies. The Idaho Conservation League has played a significant role in the development of a state energy plan and is a strong voice advocating for clean renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency and energy conservation.

Population growth means Idaho will need to meet increasing energy needs, but Idaho has not implemented any of the recommendations provided within the 2007 energy plan. As the fourth-fastest growing state in the nation, it is essential to promote energy efficiency, conservation and renewables in the coming years. Idaho is one of the few states without a coal generation power plant, yet new energy development proposals are becoming common. Idaho is ripe territory for power plant development because the state has minimal requirements for protecting the environmental and public health.

We played an integral role in the defeat of a proposal from Sempra Energy to locate a large coal-fired power plant in Jerome, because coal-fired power plants are the largest source of air poolution in the United States. As a nation, we have made technological advances in pollution control technology but few in the field of coal-fired power plants. These facilities release pollution that threatens human health and causes environmental problems, including:

• particulate matter
• mercury
• carbon monoxide
• nitrogen oxides
• sulfur dioxide

Our reliance on fossil fuel is the biggest issue in improving air quality and preventing global warming. We advocate for clean, renewable energy resources as the solution to the problem.

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Growth

Idaho is experiencing tremendous growth and ranks 4th in the US for growth. As Idaho rapidly grows, our treasured natural places and open spaces are at risk. In order to preserve clean water, clean air, wildlife, and quality of life, we need to minimize the loss of open space.

Water

Growth and the loss of open space affect both the quantity and quality of water. We need to determine how much water is available for additional development in Idaho without affecting existing users. We must also protect the quality of our lakes and rivers as more and more people move here. Streamside areas serve as important habitat for wildlife as well as buffer zones that protect our water and help keep it clean. We must maintain these important areas as a way to preserve clean water and beautiful places that contribute to the excellent quality of life we enjoy as Idahoans.

Air

As more people come to Idaho, more cars are added to the roads, resulting in an increase of air pollutants and serious health impacts to our residents. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, driving a car is the single most polluting thing that most of us do. Driving is the single largest contributor to ground-level ozone and airborne particulates - the major components in smog and inversion-related pollution. As these additional miles are driven, dirty air inversions will likely become more frequent and more severe. These inversions cause serious health consequences, especially to those people who suffer from chronic lung diseases including asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, and other types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Wildlife

As more natural areas are developed, habitat is lost, and important wildlife corridors and streamside areas are destroyed. Ensuring that wildlife can move between good habitat is critical to protect wildlife. If a development is proposed in an important wildlife habitat, that loss should be mitigated by protecting habitat in another location. Critical winter range and special status species need to be considered.

Quality of Life

In order to accommodate growth while preserving our quality of life, we need to plan for growth. Well-planned growth can add value and enjoyment to our quality of life. Poorly planned growth affects our clean air, clean water, wildlife, and open space. It is important our communities be involved in decisions on where to encourage growth. Local governments need to provide information in a timely and accessible way so that the public can provide input on proposals in their community.

In order to address the concerns of our members and the public, and to achieve our mission, we are developing a program that can address key growth issues in communities around Idaho and integrate with our efforts in the legislature and around the state. We will be looking at where growth can best be accommodated, based on water, air, and wildlife concerns, as well as identifying areas we should protect in order to preserve our quality of life. We will also be considering where we want to have open space permanently protected, and how we do it.

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