Why is manure bad for streams?
Like fertilizers, the nitrogen in livestock waste and pet waste is like vitamins. People need vitamins to live, but too much of some vitamins is toxic. Streams need nitrogen, but too much can cause severe problems. Nutrients from livestock and pet waste dissolve in rainwater and wash into the soil. Some, but not all, is absorbed and used by plants. The rest can migrate into streams, where it causes algae blooms. Algae blooms not only look bad, they consume dissolved oxygen in the water – oxygen that fish and other aquatic wildlife need to breathe. Cold-water fish species like salmon and trout require high oxygen levels. High nitrogen levels in water are toxic to fish and are toxic to people in drinking water. Bacterial contamination from manure is a direct threat to human health. In fact, many of our water bodies south of Marysville and west of Monroe are not considered safe for swimming or wading due to bacterial contamination. The principle sources of this contamination are pet waste
