Odor Monitoring Study Eases Concerns About Hog Barn Development

Community Participation Vital to Intensive Livestock Development Local Monitoring Study Eases Concerns Over Hog Barn Project by Don Walters and Kim Browne

When proposed construction of a multi-site hog development for the Rama and Hazel Dell area, 20 km southwest of Canora, Saskatchewan was announced in 2000, area residents raised concerns over the potential impact this would have on the Spirit Creek Watershed and Good Spirit Lake. The planned construction would consist of six barns with a total output of 120,000 market hogs per year and the barn operator was awaiting RM and provincial government approval. Area residents had been told that the barns would pose an enormous threat to the lake in that it would "put an end to the beautiful lake; fish would die; and the lake would be full of algae".

Opponents and proponents of the project "Friends of Good Spirit Lake" met frequently to discuss the development but were unable to arrive at a decision. After several meetings with then Minister of Agriculture Clay Serby, the Minister appointed the Spirit Creek Watershed Monitoring Committee (SCWMC) in August 2000 to monitor and report on the environmental impact on water, soil and air arising from the proposed hog operation.

Members included long time community residents, two mayors from neighboring jurisdictions, farmers, ranchers, a tourism representative, an RM Reeve, and a cabin owner. This committee, the first of its kind in Canada, focused on remaining completely unbiased as they undertook a five-year study on intensive livestock production and its relationship to the surrounding environment. They attended conferences on manure management, nutrient management, water and water quality, manure treatment technologies, workers' and environmental regulations, land use and toured technology companies that supply the intensive livestock industry.

Since area residents rely almost entirely on the surface and groundwater wells on their properties for domestic use, potential environmental contamination was a real concern. Working with 142 residents within a five-mile radius of three Rama hog barns, the committee collected sample data from wells and dugouts, prior to populating of the hog facilities, to establish benchmark data. By Spring 2004 sufficient data had been collected to establish a baseline value and history of seasonal fluctuations of the wells and dugouts. Spring runoff sampling continued upstream and downstream of manured fields. Analysis of samples indicated there was little difference in the quality of water between manured fields to those treated with commercial fertilizers.

The water monitoring study produced a two-fold benefit. The data collected provided important benchmarks and the participants increased awareness of their own water supply prompting many to make improvements. They were encouraged to compare the water monitoring data with that of the Municipal Drinking Water Quality Objectives. Results from this portion of the study recommended that the government encourage residents to have their well drinking water analyzed regularly and reduce surface contamination to the aquifer. Landowners should also be encouraged to locate and properly de-commission abandoned wells, and to improve quality of water in the watershed, road and drainage ditches be buffered to reduced the possibility of transport of excess nutrients and other chemicals.

The soil monitoring study involved local residents establishing a baseline of nutrient concentrations at various soil depths. This would then allow a comparison of injected liquid hog manure versus commercial fertilizer application as a nutrient source. Data was collected at four monitoring sites and two baseline sites. Comparisons showed that hog manure used as a nutrient for crops would produce as high, or higher, yields than commercial fertilizers. 9% more grain was possible due to improved nitrogen fertility. Applied properly, hog manure increased the productivity of the soils in the Rama area. With regular monitoring of soil conditions and flexibility in application rates of manure and commercial fertilizers there would be little or no risk to the Spirit Creek Watershed.

An air quality study was also undertaken with assistance from the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan. Air samples were collected at the barn, 2400 metres upwind of the barn, under the barn fans, and 600 metres downwind of the barn. Samples were analyzed for airborne dust, endotoxins and DNA. The study found an increase in contaminants under the barn fans, but at 600 metres downwind the air was no different than "fresh country air" 2400 metres upwind.

The odor monitoring portion of the project was co-coordinated by Dr. Huiqing Guo, Assistant Professor Department of Agriculture and Bio-resource Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. The objectives were to monitor the odour exposure levels to residents living in the vicinity of swine production operations in terms of frequency, intensity, duration, and offensiveness (FIDO) using trained resident odour-observers and hired odour assessors. The trained observers monitored seasonal and diurnal (daily) odour emission profiles of swine operations in Saskatchewan. The study ultimately provided data for validating odour dispersion models and establishment of science-based setback distances for swine operations.

Odour occurrence monitoring was carried out by trained resident observers (nasal rangers) who lived in the area and within the vicinity of a three-site 5,000 sow, farrow-to- finish swine operation. Fifty residents from thirty-nine families volunteered to be trained as odour observers and monitored swine odours around their residences from December 2001 to November 2002. They were trained to use a 5-point n-butanol intensity reference scale to rate intensities of swine odours detected around their residences. Twenty three families living 1.6 to 6.0 km away from the closest swine sites detected a total of 317 swine odour events during that period of time. Eleven families located 2.3 to 6.0 km and five families 6.0 to 8.6 km away from the swine farms did not detect swine odours.

The nasal rangers detected odours in 16% of all downwind measurements, the farthest detected odour was 6 km from the closest swine units. Most of the odours were very faint or faint. Strong and very strong reports occurred 14% of the time, primarily in June and October, but least in July and August. No "extremely annoying" odours events occurred beyond 4km from the farms. Most odour events occurred when wind speeds were less than 5 km/hour. Most swine odours (70.3%) were detected during the warm season from May to October.

Also, manure land application contributed to high odour occurrences in May, June, and October. Most of the odours (54.6%) were detected between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. from the late afternoon, throughout the night and until early morning. During the warm season, there were two peak hours for odour detection: 0600 to 0700h and 1600 to 1700h. However, during the cold season, odours were detected most frequently between 1100 and 1200h.

No correlation was found between the detection distance and number of odour events. In addition to weather conditions and topography, the following factors may affect odour detection frequency and intensity:

1) distance and direction of the residence from the odour source; 2) frequency and duration of the periods during which the observer stayed outside, which depended on the habits or lifestyle of the residents; and, 3) sensitivity of the observers to swine odours, which may vary greatly.

There were some odour events reported that may have come from other livestock in the area.

The work done by the Spirit Creek Watershed Monitoring Committee members and local area residents has provided important benchmark data for the hog industry. Conclusions in the final report echo those of the interim report, namely that intensive livestock operations do not have to have a negative impact on the local environment. Additionally, the SCWMC has made recommendations to help ensure the environmental sustainability of the watershed environment and that soil/manure monitoring continues to the end of 2012. More information on this project is available at http://www.spiritcreek.ca/.

Don Walters, SCWMC Chairman, Yorkton Don Olson, Secretary, Chairman of Web Site Subcommittee and Mayor, Town of Sturgis Jim Davis, Chairman Soils Subcommittee, Canora Beach Ray Riesz, Chairman Water Subcommittee, Friends of Good Spirit Lake Eugene Prychak, Chairman Odour Subcommittee, Livestock and Grain Producer Adam Kosar, Mayor, Village of Buchanan Jack Prychak, Cattle Producer Florian Possberg, CEO, Big Sky Farms Inc.

Funding support for this project was provided by: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research fellowship for Public Health and the Agricultural Rural Ecosystem, Canadian Pork Producers Livestock Environmental Initiative, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Development Fund, Alberta Livestock Development Fund, Big Sky Farms Inc., Spirit Creek Watershed Monitoring Committee, Sask Pork, Alberta Pork and Manitoba Pork. References: Community Odour Monitoring Using Local Resident-Observers - Final Report, Huiqing Guo, et al, September 2005 Keith Head, Head & Associates, February 2006 Spirit Creek Watershed Monitoring Committee Five Year Report, October 2006