Concrete Standards for Animal Confinements Kick in March 24

DES MOINES - New concrete construction standards will take effect for animal confinements on March 24, requiring new construction and expanding operations to meet more site-specific criteria.

There are three major changes to the construction standards:

• use of wire mesh will no longer be allowed as the primary floor reinforcement for confinement tanks or pits with a height of four feet or more,
• producers who use a licensed professional engineer to develop and seal the plans will have more flexibility than those who do not use an engineered design, and
• the wall thickness and reinforcement will be based on the height of the walls, the shape of the structure, the backfill material that is used, and vehicle use within five feet of the walls.

"Those confinements that have already been approved for construction, through their manure management plan or construction permit, will have to use the new standards starting March 24 unless construction has already begun," said Sara Smith, an engineer with the DNR.

Smith said construction begins when excavating the building or footings, or installing concrete forms; not grading, tree removal or clearing the construction site.

"The new rules should increase protection for surface and groundwater, especially in environmentally sensitive areas," said Chad Kehrli, an environmental specialist at the Manchester DNR field office.

Kehrli, who was instrumental in proposing the new rules, said that producers and the environment will benefit from better construction.

Small animal feeding operations are specifically exempted from the new rules.

New or expanding animal confinements that are required to have a manure management plan or a construction permit application will be affected. Confinements that plan wall heights higher than 12 feet must use an engineer.

The new standards are more stringent for confinements planned in areas that drain to a known sinkhole or in karst terrain. Karst terrain is found mostly in northeast Iowa where limestone or dolomite has dissolved, often creating caves or sinkholes.

See animal feeding operations on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.com for more information about the new construction standards. Or, have your questions answered by calling a DNR engineer at 515-281-8941 or contacting the local DNR field office.

For more information, contact Sara Smith at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at 515-242-552.

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Previous feature articles:

• DNR Looks for Confinement Feeding Operations that Need Manure Plans Starting March 1
• Certification Program Offered for Dry Manure Applicators - Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Leroy Jensen, Wright County Extension Office, Kapil Arora, Area Agricultural Engineer, Story County Extension Office, Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services
• 2004 Manure Applicator Certification Workshops - Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronom
• There's Still Time to be Certified to Apply Manure this Fall - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy and Jean McGuire, Extension Communication Services, Iowa State University
• ISU Extension Offers Manure Management Events - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy and Jean McGuire, Extension Communication Services, Iowa State University
• Help Available for Developing Annual Manure Management and Nutrient Management Plans - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University and Chris Murray, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Your help needed in completing Minnesota survey regarding ventilation strategies used during pit agitation and pumping from deep pit systems - by David Schmidt, Extension Engineer, University of Minnesota Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department
• Moderate manure plus minimal N equal highest return - by Chad Ingels, nutrient and manure management specialist, Maquoketa Watershed Project
• Manure applicators should plan now to attend certification meetings - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Resources for proposed new animal feeding operation rules, including the master matrix and opportunity to provide comments to the rule making process - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Mastering the Matrix and Other Manure Matters - by Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center
• Mastering the Matrix and Other Manure Matters - by Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center
• Web resource identifying frequently asked questions about manure management is now available -
  Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Manure management field days are in full swing - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Information and resources regarding the development of the Master Matrix for siting confinement facilities - Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University; Karen Grimes and Robin Pruisner, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
• Upcoming Meetings on Iowa's Livestock Regulations and Other Information Resources - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Information Regarding Iowa's New Livestock Bill-SF 2293 - by Angela Rieck-Hinz, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University
• Review of Alternative Technologies for Manure Treatment from Open Feedlots - Jeff Lorimor and Brad Woerner, Agricultural Engineers, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, ISU
• Manure Applicator Certification Workshops for 2002 - Angela Rieck-Hinz, Extension Program Specialist, Department of Agronomy, ISU
• Managing Manure and Residue at the Same Time - Paul Miller, Manure Management Specialist, USDA-NRCS