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House File 346 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1requiring the department of natural resources to include
2additional water quality criteria in the master matrix
3used to evaluate applications for permits to construct
4confinement feeding operation structures.
5BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES — MASTER
2MATRIX — ADDITIONAL WATER QUALITY CRITERIA. The department
3of natural resources shall revise the master matrix as
4published in 567 IAC ch.65, Appendix C to include additional
5criteria in the water subcategory. The additional criteria
6shall include environmental practices used to reduce soil
7erosion and sediment loss, manage nutrients and reduce
8contributing contaminant loads to receiving surface waters,
9and improve surface water quality. The new criteria shall
10include edge-of-field soil and water conservation practices
11or edge-of-field erosion control practices, and may include
12bioreactors connected to field drainage tile lines, saturated
13buffers, prairie grass strips located in drainage areas,
14grassed waterways, areas devoted to permanent vegetation cover,
15or wetlands.
16EXPLANATION
17The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
18the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
19BILL’S PROVISIONS. This bill requires the department of
20natural resources to revise the master matrix used to evaluate
21proposed confinement feeding operation structure sites by
22including additional criteria in the water subcategory in
23order to account for environmental practices used to reduce
24soil erosion and sediment loss, manage nutrients and reduce
25contributing contaminant loads to receiving surface waters, and
26improve surface water quality.
27BACKGROUND — GENERAL. The bill refers to provisions in
28the Iowa administrative code that include the master matrix as
29required in Code section 459.305 of the “Animal Agriculture
30Compliance Act”. A person constructing a confinement feeding
31operation structure may first be required to obtain a permit
32issued by the department (Code section 459.303). A confinement
33feeding operation is a location in which agricultural animals
34are confined and fed in totally roofed structures for 45
35days or more in any 12-month period and includes associated
-1-1confinement feeding operation structures such as buildings,
2manure storage structures, and egg washwater storage structures
3(Code section 459.102). A permit is required if a confinement
4feeding operation would have an animal unit capacity of
5at least 1,000 animal units, which would equal 2,500 swine
6weighing over 55 pounds (Code section 459.102), or if the
7operation uses an unformed manure storage structure (Code
8section 459.303).
9BACKGROUND — MASTER MATRIX. The master matrix is a form
10used as part of a process in which a person applying for a
11construction permit is awarded points for agreeing to construct
12the confinement feeding operation structure or use manure
13management practices in a manner that exceeds specific state
14law requirements (e.g., a statutory separation distance imposed
15between the application of manure and a river or stream as
16specified in Code section 459.314). The master matrix is
17comprised of three subcategories including impacts of the
18confinement feeding operation on air, water, and the community.
19A county board of supervisors that adopts a construction
20evaluation resolution may evaluate the completed application
21and matrix before submitting comments to the department
22(Code section 459.304), which decides whether to approve or
23disapprove the application and issue the permit (Code section
24459.303).
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2additional water quality criteria in the master matrix
3used to evaluate applications for permits to construct
4confinement feeding operation structures.
5BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES — MASTER
2MATRIX — ADDITIONAL WATER QUALITY CRITERIA. The department
3of natural resources shall revise the master matrix as
4published in 567 IAC ch.65, Appendix C to include additional
5criteria in the water subcategory. The additional criteria
6shall include environmental practices used to reduce soil
7erosion and sediment loss, manage nutrients and reduce
8contributing contaminant loads to receiving surface waters,
9and improve surface water quality. The new criteria shall
10include edge-of-field soil and water conservation practices
11or edge-of-field erosion control practices, and may include
12bioreactors connected to field drainage tile lines, saturated
13buffers, prairie grass strips located in drainage areas,
14grassed waterways, areas devoted to permanent vegetation cover,
15or wetlands.
16EXPLANATION
17The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
18the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
19BILL’S PROVISIONS. This bill requires the department of
20natural resources to revise the master matrix used to evaluate
21proposed confinement feeding operation structure sites by
22including additional criteria in the water subcategory in
23order to account for environmental practices used to reduce
24soil erosion and sediment loss, manage nutrients and reduce
25contributing contaminant loads to receiving surface waters, and
26improve surface water quality.
27BACKGROUND — GENERAL. The bill refers to provisions in
28the Iowa administrative code that include the master matrix as
29required in Code section 459.305 of the “Animal Agriculture
30Compliance Act”. A person constructing a confinement feeding
31operation structure may first be required to obtain a permit
32issued by the department (Code section 459.303). A confinement
33feeding operation is a location in which agricultural animals
34are confined and fed in totally roofed structures for 45
35days or more in any 12-month period and includes associated
-1-1confinement feeding operation structures such as buildings,
2manure storage structures, and egg washwater storage structures
3(Code section 459.102). A permit is required if a confinement
4feeding operation would have an animal unit capacity of
5at least 1,000 animal units, which would equal 2,500 swine
6weighing over 55 pounds (Code section 459.102), or if the
7operation uses an unformed manure storage structure (Code
8section 459.303).
9BACKGROUND — MASTER MATRIX. The master matrix is a form
10used as part of a process in which a person applying for a
11construction permit is awarded points for agreeing to construct
12the confinement feeding operation structure or use manure
13management practices in a manner that exceeds specific state
14law requirements (e.g., a statutory separation distance imposed
15between the application of manure and a river or stream as
16specified in Code section 459.314). The master matrix is
17comprised of three subcategories including impacts of the
18confinement feeding operation on air, water, and the community.
19A county board of supervisors that adopts a construction
20evaluation resolution may evaluate the completed application
21and matrix before submitting comments to the department
22(Code section 459.304), which decides whether to approve or
23disapprove the application and issue the permit (Code section
24459.303).
-2-da/nh