Brazos River watershed task force continues to monitor poultry waste

By MANDY JOHN | Central Texas Edition

Dr. Larry Hauck Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research

February 27, 2003 -- Information to enhance water quality and to continue economic development in the Brazos area watersheds was the focus of a water quality meeting, held Feb. 19 in Bryan. At the meeting, the watershed task force committee concentrated on discussing the strategies for managing poultry waste in the Brazos River.

According to the task force, the main reason for their formation is the rapid expansion of major poultry-growing operations in the watersheds. Their goal is to avoid any types of impacted water quality problems, while benefiting from the needed economic stimulus of a growth industry.

"Poultry houses generate large volumes of animal waste that are rich in nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Over the year, chicken houses produce 100 tons of poultry litter, which is the mixture of manure, feathers, feed waste, and bedding material created in the process of growing chickens and turkeys.

"Poultry litter is beneficial in improving soil quality, reducing erosion, and increasing drought tolerance. However, the absence of proper controls will cause excess nutrients. During rainfall, this excess will be carried off into streams, eventually leading to water quality problems."

At the meeting, Larry Hauck, with the Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research, discussed the environmental and economic models for the watersheds, comparing what has currently happened and what is to be expected in the future.

"My reason for being here today is to tell you the present status of our research and what will lie ahead in the future," stated Hauck. "Our study is focused on watersheds with poultry houses."

"As of now, the main focus has been on the Duck Creek watershed. We picked this watershed because it had the most operations in the area. They have been very cooperative in helping us with this project.

"During the project, we tested the watershed so we could determine the type of water quality it had. We used the soil water assessment tool (SWAT) test. This was the best test for us to use because it mimicked what would actually happen on the land."

He said that two scenarios were used when evaluating the watershed. The scenarios are the expansion, or growth, scenario and the best management practice (BMP) scenario.

"With the scenarios, we are trying to find the best solution to this problem. Poultry litter is like any other type of manure. We are just trying to find a way to avoid any type of phosphorus build up in the soil.

"Right now, the poultry operations are not having any major impact. We want to keep the operations from having a negative impact in the future," Hauck concluded.