The DEP adopted a new general permit for managing and/or regulating Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and other animal feeding operations to protect the quality of New Jersey's waterways. This permit is a critical component of the State's Animal Feeding Operations strategy developed by the DEP and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The DEP administers this strategy and general permit through the New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:14A-2.13) with assistance from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the State Soil Conservation Committee, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts.

CAFOs, whether new or existing, must apply for the new general permit if they are not already authorized under another general or individual NJPDES Discharge to Surface Water permit. The general permit is also available to any animal feeding operation that voluntarily submits a request for authorization. Businesses that maintain and feed large numbers of confined animals may be classified as a CAFO. Generally, CAFOs are defined as:

The general permit requires CAFOs to comply with the federal effluent limitation guideline that prohibits discharge to state waters except when chronic or catastrophic storm events cause overflows from facilities designed, constructed and operated to hold process wastewater, process generated wastewater plus stormwater runoff from a 25-year, 24-hour storm event. To meet this guideline, CAFOs are required to prepare a Comprehensive Waste Management Plan by March 1, 2004 and implement it by March 1, 2006. The plan is to include a strategy for attaining compliance with the effluent limitation and implementing conservation practices and management measures for waste handling. Guidance on how to develop a conservation plan is available from the Department of Agriculture at (609) 292-5540.

To help small businesses comply with their environmental obligations, the DEP offers a free multimedia compliance assistance program known as "Greenstart." The program offers an on-site consultation that can help determine if an operation is an animal feeding operation or a concentrated animal feeding operation and whether permitting is required. For more information on the Greenstart program, call (609) 633-0727.

For more information about the CAFO General Permit, contact the Bureau of Nonpoint Pollution Control at (609) 633-7021 or visit the following web site: www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/gps.htm#stormwater.