 A CAFO is an agricultural operation where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. These operations are generally where farmers congregate animals, feed, manure, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures. Animal waste and wastewater can enter water bodies from spills or breaks of waste storage structures (due to accidents or excessive rain), and non-agricultural application of manure to crop land. (USEPA)
Some of the substances that can enter the surface water from CAFO are chemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogenic organisms. Likely source of pollution within a concentrated animal feeding operations are milking center waste, silage leachate, barnyard runoff, diary manure, and domestic wastes (Clearwater, Spring 2005) Pesticides or other contaminants being used can leach into the soil and eventually contaminate groundwater. Excessive use of fertilizers can contaminate drinking water sources.
Water suppliers generally distribute water that is fit to drink. In most cases treatment process include preliminary screening of debris such as leaves, rags and other large objects; sedimentation using gravity to settle floating and settleable materials; filtration by passing water through beds of porous material to remove the smallest particles; and disinfection to remove or kill pathogenic bacterial.
The USEPA requires water suppliers to provide annual drinking water reports to customers. The report is to let customers know the source of drinking water, source of contaminants (if any), and the level and range of contaminants found. You may try to find out if there is a CAFO that may affect your water supply.
If you suspect your water is contaminated, it is better to find out what’s in your water before deciding on any further home filtration system to use. The store or internet search should be the last step after you have ran your water through a testing laboratory. The laboratory will identify the type of contaminants in your water.
It is also important to locate a state certified laboratory. Some labs are certified for a particular contaminant but not for others. You may contact your state health or environmental departments for information on certified laboratories. A detailed analysis of your drinking water is necessary before purchasing a water filter.
The solution to resolving what’s in your drinking water is the use of an effective water filtration system. A typical water filter comes in a cylindrical case with both inlet and outlet openings. These openings are connected to cold water lines so that untreated water enters through the inlet opening and clean water goes through the outlet to the faucet.
It should be noted that not all water filters can resolve every drinking water problems. If you are planning to buy a water purifier, it is best to look for the one that will remove the contaminant that has been identified in your water. Drinking water filter systems come as Point-of-Entry (POE) or as Point-of-Use (POU). Each filter case has a cartridge filter that removes the pollutants. The basic type – or single stage filter – is designed to remove sediment, rust and heavy metals typically present in well water, or metals that may have leached from home pipes. Activated carbon filtration, Reverse osmoses filtration, and distillation systems are good for pesticide removal. Also, to make sure you will buy a purifier that performs satisfactorily, it is best to look for water filters that have been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).
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