A majority of animals are raised in industrial facilities, which
generate 300 million tons of manure every year, but we don't
know where it goes. Cowboys have known for years to"always drink
upstream from the herd. And although the lone, Stetson-wearing
cowpoke roaming the prairie is becoming as rare as the
jackalope, his advice is as poignant as ever: Animals defecate,
and their manure carries bacteria, viruses, and other
contaminants that pollute water and can make people sick.
Unfortunately, for most Americans, there is very little
information available about where the herd is, or if their
favorite swimming holes happen to lie downstream. A majority of
animals are now raised in industrial livestock facilities, known
in the regulatory world as Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations, or CAFOs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
estimated that these operations generate approximately 300
million tons of manure each year, more than the amount of trash
produced by all Americans. However -- although some s