1. Scope

The guidelines pertain to: total annual animal and poultry manure disposal on the land after removal from the barn, poultry house or other storage areas.

They cover:

2. Objective

To establish uniform guidelines for disposal of agricultural manure that will protect human and animal health, minimize pollution and environmental abuse, limit nuisances, and be economically sound.

3. Intent

These guidelines provide the landowner with alternative criteria for manure disposal within the context of the stated objective. It is recognized that regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Improvement Commission, the Department of Health and Welfare, and the Department of Agriculture, receive increasing numbers of environmental and nuisance complaints resulting from various manure disposal practices.

These guidelines have been developed from the best technical information available, combined with the best judgment of the various state and federal agencies, educational institutions and resource groups, with expertise in soils, agricultural manure management or environmental management. They will be reviewed and updated periodically and will serve as a basis for impartial review and judgment of animal manure disposal practices affecting the landowner and the public.

4. Technical Criteria

Maximum rates for spreading manure on the land and for other disposal method" are developed from the physical and chemical characteristics of each Individual soil identified and described by the National Standard Cooperative Soil Survey in Maine and from the accumulated research and technical knowledge of the movement of manure liquids and residues on and through each soil type.

The limiting factor in determining application rates is the pounds of nitrogen per acre to be applied; however, estimating a 1% nitrogen content for the poultry manure group and 0.5% nitrogen content for the cattle manure group, the application rate in tons of manure per acre is presented as a guide.

1. The maximum total annual rate per acre of 500 lbs. of nitrogen may be applied on soils for disposal as shown in the attached table. In addition, the amount of nitrogen which may be recycled through the crop grown (see listing on previous page) may be added. If none of the crops listed is used to vegetate the area, it may be assumed that other types of plants would remove or recycle 100 lbs. of nitrogen per acre if the vegetation were removed once each year.

2. No field spreading is to be done on frozen or snow covered ground except on upland soils of no more than 3% slope. Rate of snow or frozen ground application must not exceed 250 pounds nitrogen or the rate shown in the table by soil types when the rate in the table is lower. The lower rate applies.

3. No spreading is to be done on slopes steeper than 25%.

4. No spreading is to be done within 25 feet of the outer edge of the **normal high water mark of water courses (rivers, streams, stream channels, intermittent streams) except manure may be spread on flood plain soils at the rates indicated when it is incorporated into the soil and revegetated before the ground freezes.

5. No spreading is to be done within 100 feet of wells, springs, ponds, lakes or marine waters.

6. Spreading should not be done within the high water mark of the field depressions that carry running water during snow melt or heavy rainfall.

7. Spreading should not be done on fields adjacent to lakes, ponds, or marine waters when there is the probability of water pollution from runoff.

*Means total amount each year, or year after year, as opposed to applications made once every several years. This is a method of disposing of manure on the land to get rid of it, as opposed to recycling the entire application through harvested crops. This method will damage most crops.

**Normal high water mark is defined as inbank flow or the elevation of the top of the lower bank of the river or stream.

1. The piling site, except for immediate spreading, must be only on the soils listed as suitable in the tables of these guidelines or on sites of other soils identified by a professional soil scientist.

2. No manure or manure sludge is to be left piled on the land for more than a one year period.

3. The piling site except for immediate spreading, must be located at least 300 feet from the cuter edge of the known high water mark of water courses and 300 feet or more away from springs or wells, lakes, ponds and marine waters.

4. The site must not be on slopes exceeding 8 percent.

5. Piling must not be done on land adjacent to lakes, ponds, marine waters, or natural and man-made waterways when there is the probability of water pollution.

6. Piling site will not be located in natural drainage ways such as gullies and ravines.

7. The piling site should be located such that drift of obnoxious odors downwind to places of habitation will be minimized.

1. The burial site must be only on soils listed as suitable in the tables of these guidelines. An on-site identification of the soil type must be made by a professional soil scientist along with an investigation of the site by a professional geologist to jointly determine that undue groundwater contamination will not likely occur.

2. The site must be located at least 300 feet from the outer edge of the known high water mark of water courses and 300 feet or more away from springs, wells, lakes, ponds or marine waters. Sites must not be located in fields adjacent to lakes, ponds, marine waters or natural and man-made waterways where a probability of water pollution exists.

3. The site must be on slopes not exceeding 8 percent.

4. A surface water diversion channel must be constructed above the site so as to divert all surface water away from the burying trench.

5. The burial trench must be on the contour of the land so that any liquid accumulation within the trench will not build up at low spots and create a flow of liquid out of the trench.

6. The bottom of the burial trench must be at least four feet above the maximum height of the water table or bedrock.

7. The maximum depth of the trench should not exceed four feet. Fill trench by alternating layers of manure and soil to encourage denitrification. One foot or more of earth backfill must be used to cover exposed manure at least every two weeks.

8. Manure or manure sludge mist not be piled higher than the lower or downhill side of the trench.

9. The back-filled area must not occupy more than one-fifth of the available suitable soil area.

10. The burial area must be provided with irrigation facilities so that the soil can be kept sufficiently moist to encourage denitrification.

11. The burial method is not to be used more frequently than once in three years within the same suitable soil area (one-fifth of the area once in three years), and is not to be reapplied on the original burial trench. Total nitrogen buried should not exceed 5,000 pounds per acre as calculated on an area basis within the trench.

1. Must be done only on soils shown as suitable for composting in the attached table of these guidelines.

2. An on-site investigation must be made by a professional soil scientist to identify the soil type along with an on-site investigation by a professional geologist to jointly determine that undue groundwater contamination will not likely occur.

3. Should not be done on slopes exceeding 8 percent.

4. Should not be done on fields adjacent to lakes, ponds, marine waters or natural and man-made waterways where there is the probability of water pollution.

5. Should not be done within 300 feet of lakes, ponds, marine waters, wells or streams,

6. Mix manure or manure sludge and soil in a 1 to 1 ratio based on volume.

7. Accomplish by curbing soil from a trench about one foot deep, filled with manure, then mixed evenly with soil. Trenching and curbing should be on the contour.

8. All surface drainage must be diverted from the composting area.

9. Runoff from the composting area must be contained by dyking.

10. Compost material must be removed from the area within one year.

11. The same soil areas cannot be re-used more often than every other year.

1. The landowner must obtain the necessary approval from the Maine Department of Agriculture and/or the Department of Health and Welfare so he is sure to meet the applicable sanitary requirements of the appropriate regulatory agencies.

2. Lagoons must be located on soils rated as suitable for lagoons in the current Maine Soil Suitability Guide. An on-site identification of the soil type must be made by a professional soil scientist.

3. Lagoons must be a minimum of 300 feet from wells, springs, fresh and marine bodies of water, public roads and dwellings.

4. Specifications for design are to be those recommended by a professional engineer and approved by an appropriate state or federal agency.

5. Liquid from the lagoon must be disposed of via irrigation or a suitable leaching bed. The irrigation alternative in these guidelines applies when irrigation is used. The attached tables show the amounts of nitrogen that nay be applied via irrigation and the soils suitable for leaching beds.

6. Sludge from the lagoons must be properly disposed of on land. Maximum nitrogen rates for spreading are shown in the attached table. Soils suitable for piling, composting, or burying are shown in the attached table. Conditions listed for spreading, burying, piling or composting apply.

1. Apply only to soils shown in the attached table as suitable for liquid manure irrigation.

2. Do not exceed in any year the application of nitrogen shown in the attached table as the maximum application per year. The maximum 500 lbs. nitrogen applies on soils as shown in the table.

3. Tests for amounts of nitrogen should be taken as the spray falls upon the ground.

4. Spraying must not be done within 100 feet of wells, springs, lakes, ponds or marine waters.

5. Irrigation tables must be used for determining rates per hour and maximum volume application per day or period of time.

6. Irrigation must not be done during periods when the ground is saturated or nearly saturated with water, or when the ground is frozen or snow covered.

7. Irrigation of liquid manure should not be done on fields adjacent to lakes, ponds, marine waters or natural and man-made waterways when there is the probability of water pollution from runoff.

1. Keep dry while in storage to prevent odors.

2. Nitrogen loss through dehydration changes the percentage of nitrogen; therefore, nitrogen content of the dehydrated residue must be determined periodically. Maximum pounds of nitrogen shown in the attached table is the only usable guide to maximum rates of applications on the land.

3. The conditions for spreading, piling, burying, or composting apply when one of these disposal methods is used.

1 Based on maximum rates of allowable application for disposal and not on effects of plant growth or production. Rates of nitrogen for recycling listed on page 3 may be added to those listed in the table.

2 Pounds of nitrogen, rather than tons, is the controlling item in all cases. The figure on tons is an average guide based upon 1% nitrogen content for the chicken manure group and 0.5% nitrogen content for the cattle manure and sludge group.