Saturday, February 23, 2008
NY Taxpayers Keep Livestock Factories on Welfare
CAFOs Collect Their Checks and Keep Polluting.
CAFO operators laugh all the way to the bank!
Finger Lakes, Central New York receive $7.3M to protect waterways
Posted by dgroom <http://blog.syracuse.com/news/about.html>
February 22, 2008 13:53PM
The state today awarded $13 million to pay for projects to help keep
water clean throughout the state—with $3.8 million of that going to
the Finger Lakes and $3.5 million to Central New York.
Patrick Hooker, state commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, was at
the New York Farm Show at the state Fairgrounds to announce the awards,
which will “help farmers protect New York’s lakes, streams and rivers
from agricultural runoff.”
Manure or chemical runoff from farms can wreak havoc with water
supplies.
Debra J. GroomState Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Patrick
Hooker announces $13 million to help farmers protect state waterways
and
water sheds from agricultural runoff
Douglas Fisher, program manager with the Onondaga County Soil and Water
Conservation District, said in the past there were problems with
pathogens from manure runoff in Skaneateles Lake, which is the drinking
water source for the city of Syracuse. There also have been sediment
deposit problems in Otisco Lake, which is a drinking water supplier for
other parts of Onondaga County.
In Cayuga County, agricultural runoff has been noted as one cause of
the
water quality problems in Owasco Lake, the prime drinking water for
most
of Cayuga County. Projects to be done in Seneca and Cayuga counties
will
reduce the ag runoff into Cayuga and Owasco lakes.
The same is true in Madison County. Steve Lorraine, district manager of
the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District, said projects
there will help keep the Chenango, Tioughnioga and Unadilla watersheds
in good shape.