Local cattlemen gather to discuss water quality issues

Nearly 100 area ranchers, farmers and businessmen gathered at the Wheat Growers Building on Monday to discuss potential stream pollution and water quality issues on local land. The meeting was geared towards helping farmers determine the potential to pollute on land with cattle, and provide them with ideas about preventive measures landowners can take to reduce the chance of pollution.

The meeting, coordinated by the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, was scheduled after 32 letters were sent by the Department of Ecology to landowners throughout the state.

Jack Field, executive vice president for the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, introduced the program for the afternoon, beginning the presentation of a legal description of the specific RCWs that relate to the letters sent by Ecology. Field said the growing concern regarding the laws are in the terminology, allowing the “potential to pollute” designation to be left up to the opinion of regulatory agencies or anonymous individuals.

Field explained the letters from Ecology were vague and left recipients with questions regarding the perceived pollution with little information about the specific issue. Field explained the federal state mandates on the potential pollution issue vary drastically: while the federal law states the pollution has to be proven, the state designation of pollution is based on opinion. The state law also is based on the pollution of ground and surface water, while the federal mandate is only surface water.

Washington Agriculture Legal Foundation Executive Director Toni Meacham added that due to the vagueness of the letters, landowners with multiple parcels cannot be sure of the specific location deemed as the potential pollution location on their property. Meacham continued to address the need to move towards data driven proof instead of relying on the opinions of individuals and agencies. The organization has hired an expert to help evaluate and provide this non-bias data as evidence for Ecology.

Meacham’s hope is to move forward with strengthening the legal description or rewording the resolution to provide landowners with scientific proof and data about the pollution, and move away from an opinion based mandate.

“It is absolutely imperative that when you get a letter from Ecology, you ask for the evidence. You have to find out why they’re coming after you, because it might not be for any reason at all,” Meacham said.

Meacham encouraged landowners to work together and continue to share information with one another in order to educate themselves on the potential issues surrounding them. By having landowners supply the government with scientific data from the agricultural community, it can help balance and provide crucial information to regulatory agencies regarding the benefits of grazing and water quality.

Meachum explained that while Ecology is required to go through mitigation to take land out of agricultural production, Ecology is sending letters notifying landowners of a potential pollution indicators on their land and to discuss the problems with the local conservation district. Meacham said the loophole allows Ecology to send a threatening letter to landowners, but avoid going through mitigation.

“One of the things we’ve got to do is we have to change the RCW, we have to change the perception of agriculture in this state, we’ve got to work from all angles to try and make it so we are not an easy target for Ecology,” Meacham said. “And one of the ways to do that is to get this science that is already out there and promote it.”

Tip Hudson, Washington State University Extension range management specialist, discussed ways landowners can help improve their properties and prevent potential pollution from cattle. By helping producers self evaluate their risk, the hope is to reduce the chance of landowners receiving a letter.

Hudson’s key to protecting water quality is to improve and maintain vegetation in the grazing areas. He said this does not mean removing the animals completely, but establishing a grazing plan that allows the animals to graze in the area for a shorter amount of time to allow the vegetation to grow and reduce potential pollution.

“If you have an organized grazing plan, a lot of times those cattle will pull pollutants from the water and actually disperse them over the whole field,” Meacham said. “And that’s something we need to talk about. That’s something that opens the door to grazing and to water quality.”

Bacteria is expected to be found in waterways, Hudson continued, and it is important to keep a balanced perspective. He explained that manure from cattle is primarily plant material and water, and provided it’s not in excess, it can be beneficial.

Preventative measures ranchers and landowners can take to reduce the chance of pollution on their property and lesson the possibility of receiving a letter from Ecology is simple. Hudson encouraged cattlemen to take a photo at the same location four times a year to record the vegetation in the area during the different seasons, record all management action and keep a grazing record to show where the cattle are on the property throughout the year.

A handout and response letter have been created by the Washington Agricultural Legal Foundation and cattlemen who receive a letter from Ecology are encouraged to obtain and send back the letter asking for evidence of the pollution. Landowners are also recommended to contact the foundation about having a specialist evaluate the risk of pollution on their land and record data for the property owner to have in the event they are contacted by Ecology.