Jordan Schneider
Policy Analyst
Factory farms threaten the health of Illinois’s rivers, lakes and streams. Across the state, large-scale releases of animal waste and other forms of pollution have fouled local waterways to the point where some can no longer sustain important uses such as swimming, fishing, drinking, or the maintenance of healthy populations of wildlife. This case study report highlights five specific instances of factory farm pollution damaging local waterways, and includes policy recommendations for stronger regulation and enforcement of these facilities in Illinois.
Policy Analyst
Clean Water Director and Senior Attorney, Environment America
Clean water is critical to the environment, public health and quality of life in Illinois. Factory farms threaten the health of our waterways. Across the state, large-scale releases of animal waste and other forms of pollution have fouled local waterways to the point where some can no longer sustain important uses such as swimming, fishing, drinking, or the maintenance of healthy populations of wildlife.
Since 2002, state documents show at least 80 serious instances of factory farms polluting Illinois waterways. However, because of poor tracking and regulation of factory farms (also known as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs), many other instances of pollution likely go unreported, and many that are reported are never prosecuted.
Illinois should take strong action to stop factory farms from polluting our rivers and streams.
Factory farms produce millions of gallons of waste from swine, poultry and cattle each year.
Illinois waterways are routinely polluted by animal waste from factory farms. Waste can run off from fields, feedlots and barns, spill from holding ponds or malfunctioning equipment, or in some cases be deliberately dumped into nearby waterways.
Concentrating thousands of livestock animals on just a few acres is an inherently polluting business practice. These industrial operations generate far more manure than they can manage, as demonstrated in the many cases of water pollution documented by the Attorney General’s office in complaints and court orders. For example, according to these documents:
Policy Recommendations
To protect our waterways from factory farm pollution, Illinois should take the following strong actions:
In addition, federal officials must immediately restore the protections of the Clean Water Act to all of Illinois’ waterways—including the small rivers, streams and wetlands that currently lack protection. Ensuring federal jurisdiction over all of Illinois’ waters will allow Illinois residents to appeal to federal regulators when state efforts to rein in CAFO pollution fail.
Policy Analyst
John directs Environment America's efforts to protect our rivers, lakes, streams and drinking water. John’s areas of expertise include lead and other toxic threats to drinking water, factory farms and agribusiness pollution, algal blooms, fracking and the federal Clean Water Act. He previously worked as a staff attorney for Alternatives for Community & Environment and Tobacco Control Resource Center. John lives in Brookline, Mass., with his family, where he enjoys cooking, running, playing tennis, chess and building sandcastles on the beach.