Michigan Can Do More to Prevent Animal Waste from Polluting Water

lschultz • December 20, 2019

The National Wildlife Federation and Michigan United Conservation Clubs are urging the state of Michigan,  in comments filed today , to strengthen protections for clean water to prevent animal waste from largescale livestock operations from fouling rivers, lakes, streams and the Great Lakes. Animal waste that runs off farm fields and into local waters can fuel toxic algae, poisoning drinking water, harming fish and wildlife, killing dogs, and hurting tourism.

“The state of Michigan has taken a critical step in proposing new requirements to prevent confined animal feeding operations from causing environmental harm,”  said Gail Hesse, director, Great Lakes water program, for the National Wildlife Federation .  “However, we ask that Michigan do more to protect the health of our communities, by preventing animal waste from running off of farm fields and polluting our drinking water.   The state can and should do more to bolster protections to protect our drinking water, environment, and economy.”

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), the Michigan affiliate for NWF, passed a 2013 member-driven resolution advocating for education and cooperation between all jurisdictions involved and that best management practices be implemented to reduce nutrient discharge from point and nonpoint sources into the waters of the Lake Erie watershed.

“Algal blooms extend much further than unsightly sludge and ‘do not swim’ advisories,” said Amy Trotter, MUCC executive director. “Blooms are harmful to the aquatic ecosystem and cause a negative perception of the fishery, which can impact charter boat trips, sport anglers, tourism and recreationists — all economic drivers for the region.”

In their comments , the National Wildlife Federation and Michigan United Conservation Clubs wrote: “Michigan’s draft permit is a step in the right direction, but should be strengthened to ensure that animal waste does not pollute the state’s waters. We encourage the state to incorporate common-sense solutions into the permit to strengthen protections for the water we all depend on.”

The state of Michigan is taking comments on its draft permit to deal with animal waste from large-scale livestock operations—so-called concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFO’s.

The National Wildlife Federation and Michigan United Conservation Clubs support the strong reporting requirements in the permit to help professional environmental staff with the State of Michigan create strong systems to prevent nutrient pollution.

However, the conservation groups provide several recommendations to strengthen the permit to prevent water pollution. Those include:

  • Longer storage requirements (from six months to 12 months).
  • Prohibition of winter application of animal waste on frozen, snow-covered or saturated ground based on specific definitions of those terms (rather than the proposed calendar-based approach).
  • Stronger protections to prevent the disposal of animal waste on land that has large concentration of nutrients in the soil.
  • Restriction on the application of animal waste in watersheds with impaired waters, not just those that have mandated pollution-reduction plans (known as TMDLs).
  • More focused sampling requirements, especially during and after rain and snow-melt events—times that are known to cause increased runoff pollution.

Concentrated animal feeding operations are large-scale livestock operations that house hundreds, thousands, or millions of animals, such as cows, pigs, and chickens. The animal waste produced at these facilities is enormous – equivalent to small towns or cities. Industrial livestock operations often dispose of the animal waste by spreading it on farm fields as fertilizer. Rain and snowmelt can wash excess animal waste off farm fields and into local streams, rivers, lakes, and the Great Lakes, where it can cause severe pollution, including toxic algae outbreaks that foul drinking water and threaten public health.

Recent Posts

New Partnership: Certified Wildlife Habitat with National Wildlife Federation

By Olivia Triltsch • October 23, 2025
Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) is proud to announce a new partnership with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to bring the Certified Wildlife Habitat ™ program to communities across Michigan. This collaboration connects MUCC’s long-standing commitment to conservation with NWF’s national effort to create, restore, and certify habitats that provide food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Together, the organizations aim to inspire individuals, schools, and communities to take action in their own backyards to support native species. Through this initiative, MUCC will help expand awareness of the Certified Wildlife Habitat program, integrate it into its volunteer network, and provide resources to landowners interested in enhancing habitat on their property. One of the greatest benefits for volunteers comes from the knowledge gained in understanding wildlife habitat enhancement, allowing for the application to private land habitat enhancement. In addition to this, much of the work we do for habitat can apply to a variety of species, from rabbits to wood ducks, even birds of prey. The partnership will also promote community engagement opportunities through educational events, workshops, and collaborative restoration projects. In coordination with efforts like the certified wildlife habitat, MUCC hopes to expand conservation efforts across Michigan. Our award-winning, statewide volunteer habitat program, On the Ground (OTG), works to conserve, protect, and enhance wildlife habitat. In 2025 alone, OTG worked with 739 volunteers across 27 habitat projects, from invasive species removal to river clean-ups. Through the hard work contributing over 2,900 volunteer hours, habitat stewards were able to improve 423 acres of land for wildlife conservation in Michigan. Although OTG projects are not active year-round, we encourage Michigan residents to continue land stewardship on both public and private lands. To qualify for certification through the Certified Wildlife Habitat program, a property must include: Three natural food sources One water source Two places for shelter Two places to raise young Two sustainable practices To determine if your habitat qualifies, visit the NWF website and take the habitat quiz or download the checklist. If your habitat needs native plants, check out Garden for Wildlife to find species native to your area. The $25 application fee includes a personalized paper certificate, a 1-year NWF membership, and the option to purchase lawn plaques and garden flags. Habitats located on school grounds do not have a fee to get certified, so check to see what you might need to qualify today. If you are interested in joining our On the Ground program for the 2026 season, stay connected through our Facebook , Instagram , and OTG webpage for upcoming events.

On the Ground Junior: Fall Event Recap

By Olivia Triltsch • October 16, 2025
In 2025, the On the Ground program conducted 8 junior projects with schools involving 316 students from across the state. From tree plantings to invasive species removal, these students worked to enhance 39.3 acres of public land after contributing over 200 volunteer hours. Visit our website to learn more information about our On the Ground program and On the Ground Junior . To wrap up the 2025 field season, the On the Ground program worked with two classrooms to enhance wildlife habitat and recreational access. Junior programs like these allow teachers to get their students out of the classroom and into hands-on learning about the importance of habitat work while meeting individuals in the field.

October NRC Recap

By Justin Tomei • October 9, 2025
The Natural Resources Commission met today, Thursday, October 9th for their October meeting. The commission reaffirmed its intent to allow for lethal year-round coyote management on public and private land via a unanimously passed resolution before passing fisheries orders, and tabling more for consideration in November. The commission passed Fisheries Orders 210.26 , and 254.25 before tabling 206.26, 219.26 , and 253.26 . Commissioner John Walters provided an amendment to the fisheries order to expand underwater spearfishing opportunities to most of the Great Lakes, allowing for some spatial closures for the protection of particularly sensitive areas. The commission took steps to make good on their promise to allow year-round coyote management, unanimously passing a resolution more clearly stating their intent and what the pending wildlife conservation order will look like. The next meeting is Thursday November 6 in Lansing.
More Posts