The following post is related the Center’s work on a Health Impact Assessment of a proposed biomass-powered energy facility in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  The facility was proposed as a potential remedy to the issue of nutrient concentration related to trends in livestock production.  Each post in the series describes one particular aspect of interest from the Center’s analysis. 

The Shenandoah Valley

For purposes of our study, the Shenandoah Valley was defined by Augusta, Rockingham, Page, and Shenandoah Counties.  It is in northwest Virginia about two hours away from Washington D.C.  It is a rural area with agriculture and livestock production playing a major role in the employment and culture of the region.  If the area is known for any one thing, it is probably the National Parks in the region.  They not only provide millions of dollars to the local economy and employment for the Valley’s residents, they are also a cultural signature of a community that prides itself on its naturalistic beauty and unhurried daily life.

Modern Poultry Production in the United States

The trend in livestock production over the past several decades has been to become more geographically concentrated.  The main driver of this trend has been an effort to reduce operating costs through economies of scale.  This keeps the cost to the consumer low as well.

One of the unintended consequences of concentration is that waste products of the production process are also geographically concentrated.  Livestock manure is loaded with nutrients—specifically nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—which are in demand for crop farmers who otherwise need to purchase them in order to fertilize their fields.  That makes poultry litter a very valuable commodity in agricultural areas.  However, manure is very heavy and expensive to transport so Valley poultry growers cannot sell their litter to farmers in distant areas without a net loss.

The end result is that manure is applied to crop land locally.  Crops and soils do not have an unlimited capacity to absorb nutrients and at some point, they can become saturated.  Nutrients applied at ratios too great for the soil can runoff from the farm into local water bodies were they cause growth of noxious algal blooms, making it uninhabitable for fish and unsafe for swimming.  Because livestock production has become so concentrated, the issue of balancing water quality with farmer’s needs is frequently coming up in areas like the Valley.

The Proposal

A potential alternative for litter management is to use it as fuel.  There are several large-scale, poultry litter-to-energy facilities that are currently operating in the United Kingdom and Benson, Minnesota. When burned, the nitrogen content of litter is released into the atmosphere while the majority of the phosphorous remains in the ash byproduct.  This ash is significantly reduced in weight and can be transported out of the watershed to be used as fertilizer.  This practice holds significant promise to improve water quality in poultry production areas.

The downside is that incineration of litter can affect air quality.  Residents in the Valley have voiced concerns about the potential of the facility to cause poor health; most have focused on the air impact but the facility could have far reaching impacts on health.  The facility could assist in improving water quality, thus eliminating some health risks associated with exposure to impaired water and it would also bring new jobs to the community and protect the future employment of farmers.  Employment and poverty are consistently associated with improved health in studies.  Conversely, the facility may negatively impact some employment such as tourism related to the National Parks if it deteriorates air quality.

Our HIA is meant to analyze some of these health impacts with the hope of informing the decision-making process.