Facilities in New Mexico, USA containing large herds of milk cows are coming under increasing scrutiny as being a main source of groundwater contamination. In these farmed factory settings, thousands of cows live in confined feedlots eating, not grass, but engineered formulas.

Under these conditions, for every 7 gallons of milk produced by a cow each day, 18 gallons of manure are excreted. With 300,000 milk cows in the state, New Mexico is inundated with 5.4 million gallons of manure every day – an amount that would fill nine Olympic-size pools.

Moreover, unlike human waste, animal manure enters land and groundwater untreated and thus can carry polluting nitrogen and disease to wildlife and humans. New Mexico’s Environment Department has reported that excess cattle excrement from two-thirds of the state’s 150 milk cow facilities is in fact contaminating the state’s groundwater.

New Mexico state officials, we appreciate this information and the understanding of the larger predicament it represents. May all such factory farms be eliminated for the betterment of animals and humans alike.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121173780
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?_r=1