There are a number of unpalatable solutions, the greatest of which would be to ban poultry CAFOs from the Illinois River Basin. That's probably not going to happen. In fact, the unintended consequence of giving riparian easements and CREP payments for farmers to conserve land, is that more and more poultry producers find it affordable to practice their agriculture in this watershed. So, what about halting the practice of giving money to riparians who own chickens? We could mandate, "You can't put a CAFO within 1.5 miles of the Illinois or a tributary." It would reduce the prime spots for chicken houses, but Fate and Transport research shows that when you put the houses farther from the water's edge, it takes longer and fewer phosphorous molecules reach the river's flow.
Why phosphorous? Because it becomes suspended in water (or settles to the bottom bound with iron) and makes something akin to Algae Miracle-Gro. Algae is bad for many reasons. It robs the water of oxygen, damning fish populations... especially those lil tiny very cool darter percinas endemic to Ozarks bioregion streams with pebbly bottoms. The bacteria in chicken poop is a health issue. Downstream towns treat the water for domestic use. But when you've got all that e. coli and stuff to neutralize, it takes a lot of disinfection. The disinfection process then makes risky toxins-- and it only has to be so concentrated because the bacteria levels are so high.
Sign the Petition if you'd be fer the notion of setting the poultry industry back from the streamsides in this Jewel-Of-A-River. We need a thousand signatures. We have more than those shown online--- about 500 from river visitors and from that day when Dennis and I had bought ourselves a pair of kayaks and floated the river, getting signatures from other floaters on the water. *That* was fun!
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