Contact: Dan Olson, 218-846-8108, daniel.olson@state.mn.us
Detroit Lakes, Minn. -- If you live in a rural area or operate a feedlot where flooding is a possibility, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says there are simple things you can do to minimize pollution threats to your home, property and the environment.
Anchor and/or secure all propane and liquid fuel tanks so they will not tip over or float away in floodwaters. Turn off the valves on LP tanks before securing them. If possible, liquid fuel tanks should be emptied by your petroleum provider and kept empty until floodwaters recede. Fittings, copper lines, regulators and other tank-related attachments may be damaged or entirely pulled out if a tank begins to float or shift in a flood. Spilled oil, gasoline or other liquids may then leak into a well, home or outbuildings, destroying or greatly reducing the value of property and possessions. Floating propane tanks may leak, creating an explosion or fire hazard.
Move household and farm chemicals to an area that is safe from floodwaters. If that is not possible, make sure they are in secure containers that will not leak, rupture or float off if inundated.
In addition to water damage, flooded basements are often contaminated by spills of household chemicals normally stored in them, such as paint, drain cleaner, and varnish. If possible, before a flood, move these items from your basement to a secure location or, if you no longer need them, take them to your county’s household hazardous waste facility. For its location, see www.pca.state.mn.us/udgx572.
The threat of flooding also poses challenges for manure management among feedlot operators. Smaller operations that spread solid manure during winter must ensure that the manure does not run off with snowmelt flowing to ditches, streams and other waters. Manure-contaminated runoff not only threatens water quality, it reduces the value of manure as a crop nutrient.
“Manure applied to snow-covered and/or frozen soils during conditions of snow melt or rain on frozen soils can contribute the majority of the annual nutrient losses,” said Dennis Frame, University of Wisconsin-Extension. “There is a high potential for manure runoff this year based on field conditions and weather patterns.”
If possible, farmers should refrain from spreading manure during periods of rapid snow melt. In an article posted at http://fyi.uwex.edu/discoveryfarms/2011/02/now-is-the-high-risk-period-for-manure-runoff/, Frame offered these suggestions:
-- During the period of active snow melt or when rain is predicted on frozen soils, producers who must haul manure from their barns should stack it in an area where the potential for runoff is low.
-- Farmers who haul manure daily should work with their local conservation departments to identify safe stacking sites that have minimal potential to run off into either surface or groundwater.
-- Producers need to be cautious about spreading manure from lots or facilities with bedded pack systems during this high-risk period. Cleaning lots and applying manure on fields before the frost goes out can greatly increase the potential for nutrient losses.
-- Producers who must haul manure during high-risk periods should identify fields that are away from streams or lakes and have minimal risk of manure running to surface or groundwater.
Minnesota rules require a 300-foot setback from surface waters and open tile intakes for manure spread on frozen soil. To reduce the impact of manure applied under these conditions, avoid steeper slopes; seek fields, or parts of fields with less than 6 percent slope for solid manure, 2 percent for liquid manure, or have greater than 30 percent crop residue. Feedlot operators who experience manure runoff into waters of the state must report to the State Duty Officer by calling 800-422-0798. They must also take immediate action to reduce environmental impact, such as creating temporary berms to stop discharge, temporarily plugging culverts and drain tile intakes to prevent manure inflow, and soaking up liquid with absorbent material, such as hay, straw, cornstalks or wood shavings.
For more information, see the MPCA fact sheet, “Managing Manure and Land Application during Adverse Weather Conditions,” at www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/wq-f8-46.pdf; contact your county or MPCA feedlot staff (a directory is at www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/feedlots.html#contacts); or call the MPCA at 800-657-3864.
The MPCA has information about protecting your property during a flood at www.pca.state.mn.us/hqzq7fe. Should flooding causes a crisis, such as chemical spills or manure runoff, farmers and residents should not hesitate to call the State Duty Officer for assistance at 800-422-0798. This toll-free number is staffed 24 hours a day.
