Animal/Livestock Feeding Operations Frequently Asked Questions

Animal feeding operations in Colorado may be subject to the following environmental regulations:

• Colorado Water Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 81, a state control regulation that addresses surface and ground water protection requirements for animal feeding operations and non-permitted concentrated animal feeding operations
• Section 61.17 of Colorado Water Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 61, which addresses discharge permits for concentrated animal feeding operations
• Section 61.13 of Colorado Water Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 61, which addresses discharge permits for housed commercial swine feeding operations
• Colorado Water Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 66, a state-only financial assurance regulation for housed commercial swine feeding operations
• Colorado Air Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 2, Part B, which requires housed commercial swine feeding operations to obtain an operating permit and an Odor Management Plan that details how the facility will to minimize odor from all aspects of the operation to the greatest extent possible
  

An Animal Feeding Operation refers to a facility or lot where the following conditions are met:

• Animals have been or will be stabled or confined and fed or maintained for a total of 45 days or more in any 12 month period, and
• Crops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility

All animal feeding operations in Colorado are subject to the best management requirements as set forth in Regulation No. 81 (“Animal Feeding Operations Control Regulation”) for the purpose of protecting waters of the state

An Animal Feeding Opertations can consist of one or more animals where the following conditions are met:

• An animal(s) have been, are, or will be stabled or confined, fed or maintained for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period, and
• Crops, vegetation, forage growth or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility.

A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation is an animal feeding operation that is either defined as a large or medium Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, or that is designated as a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation by the Environmental Agriculture Program pursuant to the Water Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 81.

A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation that stables or confines as many, or more, than the numbers of animals listed below:

• Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation - 700 mature dairy cows
• 1,000 cattle (cattle includes, but is not limited to heifers, steers, bulls and cow/calf pairs)
• 1,000 veal calves
• 2,500 swine each weighing 55 pounds or more
• 10,000 swine each weighing less than 55 pounds
• 500 horses
• 10,000 sheep or lambs
• 55,000 turkeys
• 30,000 laying hens or broilers using a liquid manure handling system
• 82,000 laying hens if using a manure handling system other than liquid
• 125,000 chickens (other than laying hens) if using a manure handling system other than liquid
• 30,000 ducks using a manure handling system other than liquid (5,000 if liquid)

Not necessarily. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are defined as point sources of pollution under the Colorado Water Quality Control Act. As such, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Colorado are required to have a discharge permit prior to discharging pollutants to waters of the U.S (see  section 61.17 of Regulation No. 61 ). A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation that decides not to apply for a permit is required to protect surface water by adhering to the surface water protection elements of Regulation No. 81. All Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Colorado, whether permitted or not, are required to adhere to the groundwater protection elements of Regulation No. 81.

Housed Commercial Swine Feeding Operations refer to a facility that is capable of housing 800,000 pounds or more of live animal weight of swine at any one time, or is deemed a commercial operation under local zoning or land use  regulations.

All Housed Commericial Swine Feeding Operations in Colorado are required to hold an individual discharge permit under section 61.13 of Regulation No. 61 (“Colorado Discharge Permit System Regulations”), and to hold an odor emissions permit under Colorado Regulation No. 2, Part B (“Odor Emissions”).