Coming Soon to a Bay Near You: Liquid Poop

(Posted by Jeanne McCann.)

No, the brown stuff isn’t mud. It’s runoff from liquid manure going directly into Harnish Run, which is a tributary of the Cocalico Creek in Northern Lancaster County. Which ends up guess where (hint: Chesapeake Bay). Photos were taken two to three days after application on top of snow-covered hard-frozen ground.

The photos were provided by Bob Bachman, Commissioner, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and were taken on February 7 and 8, 2009 (used with permission).

Dr. Bachman reports that the farmer was fined by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for polluting the stream. Applying manure on frozen ground in Pennsylvania, however, is (surprise) not prohibited.