Evaluating the potential water quality impacts of animal feeding operations on National Wildlife Refuges on the Delmarva Peninsula
Published By US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
Issued about 9 years ago
Summary
Description
The Delmarva peninsula is one of the largest poultry areas in the U.S., producing some 600 million chickens and 1.6 billion pounds of manure annually. In addition to nutrients, poultry litter contains feed additives such as trace metals and antibiotics, as well as naturally produced hormones. In spring 2000, a twoyear field study was initiated to evaluate potential water quality impacts on National Wildlife Refuges NWRs associated with animal feeding operations AFOs. Specifically, our objectives were to: 1 map locations of AFOs in the vicinity of refuge lands and identify watersheds at high and low risk for AFOrelated impact; 2 conduct studies to evaluate chemical and biological impacts to these watersheds, with an emphasis on assessing the potential impact of animal feed additives and other nontraditional contaminants. The study included the deployment of polar organic compound integrative water samplers POCIS, organic analysis of poultry litter and sediments, and the analysis of trace elements in litter, water, sediments and fish. Biological endpoints included analysis of vitellogenin Vtg in the blood of male fish as an indicator of exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds and benthic macroinvertebrate surveys.