Instead of running through treatment plants, the raw manure sits in massive open pits that collect over time and are later sent through massive sprinkler systems to crop fields as a method of fertilizer dispersal. This fertilizer is often over-applied, leading to phosphorus and nitrogen – elements essential for crop growth – to become pollutants.

Hurricanes and other natural disasters can further exacerbate these manure vats, such as what was observed in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence nearly 6 years ago.

Public health risks

These pollutive runoffs, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and other detrimental compounds, are prone to cause Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), which have been found to cause short and long-term health problems to residents that utilize an affected area, ranging from nausea and headaches to respiratory problems and liver damage depending on the type of organism and toxin that flourishes by region.

In addition to human health, wildlife and commercial operations are also at risk. HABs deplete oxygen in affected waters, causing a massive dead zone depending on the size of the bloom. These cause mass mortality events in fish and other native species, severely limiting fishing supply and further impacting local economies.

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) estimate the economic loss from HABs to be anywhere from $10-$100 million, though it is difficult to quantify HABs on a monetary scale.

Regenerative solutions

While CAFOs present a threat to water quality and human/environmental health, they're only part of a larger problem at hand, such as farming methods that deplete soil health. The NRDC has compiled several studies linking soil health to a reduction in nitrate and phosphorus runoffs, accrediting soil health to regenerative agriculture applications such as cover crop planting and “no-tilling” practices.