As Tropical Storm Debby moved over North Carolina and raised the threat of flooding across the state, on Friday morning officials were monitoring more than 90 sites, including dams, wastewater treatment plants and lagoons holding animal waste, a number that more than doubled since Thursday. At least 17 of the sites were animal feeding operations, according to an email from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday. At least three had taken on enough water from Tropical Storm Debby to raise the waste within the lagoons to higher levels than permitted, although they were not overflowing. Most of these animal operations are large-scale hog lagoons that mix the urine, feces and other waste from swine with water and anaerobic bacteria. The pollution enters waterways when open pits overflow or when the earthen walls of a pit fail.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 09, 2024 15:55 UTC