Awareness Day asks: Who is watching out for the residents and visitors…

Awareness Day asks: Who is watching out for the residents and visitors to Lancaster County?

The following might be a little hard to understand, as no one has taken responsibility for a problem they
don't even admit exists. Copies of full emails are available to the press and interested parties.

The actors:
Steven Donohue, US Environmental Project, Agency Region III, Environmental Scientist/Project Manager
Donohue.steven@epamail.epa.gov

Mary Bender, State of PA, Dept of Dog Law mabender@state.pa.us

No name, just RA-epcontactus@state.pa.us , Dept of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste
Management

John Breitsman, Dept of Agriculture. Plant Industry, State of Pennsylvania jbreitsman@state.pa.us

Matthew W. Kofroth, Watershed Specialist, Lancaster County Conservation District
matt.kofroth@pa.necdnet.net

Deane Edelman, Nutrition Project Staff, Center for Science in the Public Interest nah@scpinet.org

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III, Regional Center for Environmental Information library-
reg3@epamail.epa.gov

Stu Gagnon, USDA, National Agricultural Library, wqic@nal.usda.gov

.

The time Line:

5/9/07 Stu Gagnon suggests we contact the local cooperative extension or USDA Service Center, he also
suggests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

5/18 Deane Edelman says our concern is beyond the scope of their current work and suggests we contract
the local office of the State of PA environmental health agency who has jurisdiction over the water supply.

5/22 "The Library at the US Environmental Protection Agency, says: "the EPA does not have a position
given that it does not regulate fertilizers. "EPA is involved with agriculture as it pertains to run-off into
our water ways and EPA is involved with food safety, but largely as it relates to pesticides. The
Department of Agriculture would be the more appropriate agency to offer a position as it relates the use of
waste on food crops, they also regulate fertilizers.

6/12/07 Steven Donohue of the EPA in an email tells us that "based on our description of the problem, he
shares our concerns. He gives us a list of who to contact in PA, for us and others working to resolve the
problems in the watershed. He goes on to say that the Lancaster County Conservation District may be able
to provide education and support to the kennels on more environmentally sound ways of dealing with dog
waste and carcasses to protect waters of the commonwealth and to address health and vector concerns.
(At that point we take his suggestions and start emailing and calling the people he suggested)

7/9/07 Mary Bender says Dog Law does not regulate composting or spreading fertilizer. This is regulated
by the Pennsylvania Dept of Environmental Protection.

7/11 Department of Environment Protection, Bureau of Waste Management, sends us an email which
says, "Please contact the Department of Agriculture regarding the decomposing of dog bodies and dog
feces for composting. They can be reached at 717-787-4737.
7/12 Our contact received a call from John Breitsman, Dept of Ag (Plant Industry). He asked that we send
him what information we had, he explained he had no knowledge of this practice.

After numerous emails asking for more information and the names of the farmers who are using dog feces.
We received the following:

7/30/07 John Breitsman, answered our question as to who was responsible for regulating the land
application of residual waste and dead animal disposal. "The Department of Environmental Protections
Bureau of Waste Management is responsible for the land application of residual waste and the Dept of
Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health have regulations regarding the disposal of dead domestic animals
and animal waste.

8/3/07 Matthew Kofroth, "Unfortunately I am not an expert on this topic because I deal with our farming
community from a watershed perspective and not a nutrient management perspective, but I will try and
answer your questions as best I can. Talking to our nutrient management folks in-house they are not aware
of farm operators they work with using dog feces as fertilizer on their fields.. "As for your question on
decomposing dog bodies it is illegal for anyone to dispose of a dog or any animal other than the required
ways which are: burial, incineration, or rendering.


Web site - Cultivation

PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 97-1068d

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/lib/agriculture/pasccfiles/nutrientmanagem
ent/Appendix_L.pdf

Equine Protection Network -