How far should manure be from water?

(Adapted from On-Farm Composting Handbook, NRAES 54, 1992)….Manure Storage Location.

Sensitive Area	Minimum Separation Distance (Feet)
Property line	50–100
Residence or place of business	200–500
Private well or other potable water source	100–200
Wetlands or water surfaces (streams, pond, lakes)	100–200

How far should a horse pasture be from a well?

To prevent runoff from draining into the well area, water wells should be upslope from the livestock yard. New wells should be at least 150 feet from a livestock yard.

Does manure contaminate water?

Manure contains nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and parasites. These pollutants contaminate water resources and reduce recreational potential of lakes and rivers, destroy wildlife habitat, and eliminate drinking water supplies for people and livestock.

Can livestock contaminate a well?

As with human and pet waste, livestock and horse manure contains pathogens and nutrients. They can harm water resources including your own drinking water well or your neighbor’s.

What is the fastest way to compost horse manure?

If you have too much bedding in your pile and want to help speed up the composting process, adding materials high in nitrogen like grass clippings, chicken manure, and blood meal can help.

What do you do with horse manure in pasture?

Using manure You can use manure onsite by spreading it as a fertilizer on an open area, pasture or field. You can also haul manure offsite for fertilizing or composting. Use caution when spreading manure on pastures grazed by horses. Don’t spread manure on pastures if there are more than 1 horse per 2 acres.

Can horse manure contaminate a well?

Horse manure that is piled up and left indefinitely or spread too heavily can leach nitrates to drinking water. Additionally, manure that washes overland and comes into contact with drinking water wells (Figure 1) can leach down around well casings, transporting both nitrates and pathogens to groundwater.

Why is manure bad for water?

Livestock manure contains bacteria, nitrogen, ammonia, and phosphates. When rain falls on manure, these contaminants can be carried to local waterways by rainwater runoff. Many of the County’s creeks and rivers contain fecal coliform bacteria from both human and animal waste.

How close can horses be to well?

A standard required clearance distance between livestock and a drinking well is 150 ft.

How do I spread manure on my lawn?

Apply a thin layer of composted cow manure to the entire surface of the lawn. Use a fertilizer spreader or your hand to sprinkle the manure over the grass. The grass should still be visible once you have spread the manure. Note: Gardening Know How suggests mixing the cow manure with straw or hay.

How is horse manure spread through pasture?

To maximize pasture production, drag or harrow the pasture to break up the droppings and more evenly spread the manure. TIP: Many horse owners lack the equipment to load, handle, haul, and spread manure. Purchasing a tractor and manure spreader may be too expensive for your individual needs.

Why is horse manure so expensive to haul?

“Dry” solid manure can be 20-40% water and manure pumped from a liquid or slurry storage is about 90% water. Nutrients in manure are less concentrated than in commercial fertilizers. Relatively speaking, that makes manure expensive to haul long distances.

How does horse manure affect drinking water?

Additionally, manure that washes overland and comes into contact with drinking water wells (Figure 1) can leach down around well casings, transporting both nitrates and pathogens to groundwater. Figure 1. Horse lot within the 50-foot recommended isolation distance from well.

Does manure have water in it?

Manure also contains water. “Dry” solid manure can be 20-40% water and manure pumped from a liquid or slurry storage is about 90% water. Nutrients in manure are less concentrated than in commercial fertilizers. Relatively speaking, that makes manure expensive to haul long distances.

What happens when manure gets into a pond?

But when a large and sudden amount of organic matter enters surface water, it can cause sharp increases in biochemical oxygen demand. This means that when manure, bedding and/or horse feed enter a pond, lake or stream, these scavenger bacteria multiply very rapidly to clean up the mess.