Estimates of the Mass Generated, Disposal Timing and the Spatial Distribution of Disposal Sites Within the Illinois River Watershed (Oklahoma and Arkansas, United States)

Abstract: Management of the land disposal of fecal wastes from commercial poultry production operations requires managers to have specific knowledge of how much waste is generated, where it is generated and when and where it is disposed. Here we present a methodology developed to (1) identify poultry production locations, (2) estimate the amount of waste generated at each location, (3) identify the timing of poultry waste disposal and (4) identify locations at which waste from poultry production operations was disposed. The work done included: (1) air photo interpretation, (2) on-ground verification of the air photo interpretation, (3) review of animal waste management plans, (4) review of land disposal records and (5) direct observation of the land disposal of poultry waste. A total of 3,226 structures with a possible relationship to poultry production were identified by the initial air photo interpretation. On-ground investigation confirmed 1,917 of these to be active structures. The poultry waste produced was calculated based on a consideration of the amount of waste produced per unit area of poultry structure as a function of bird type. The data used to arrive at these values was obtained from animal waste management plans prepared under the supervision of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. This approach produced an estimate of annual poultry waste production in the Illinois River Watershed of 354,000 tons. The proximity of waste disposal locations to waste generation locations was determined fro