Chesapeake Bay Foundation sues Va. for livestock regulation

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is suing Virginia’s water protection agency in order to require livestock farms to fence off their animals from rivers and streams. The foundation argues that when animals enter the water, they cause erosion and their manure leads to algae blooms that create “dead zones” in the bay, where nothing can live. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality enacted a new program in March of 2014 to cut down on livestock pollution, but they did not require livestock operations to fence off their water from animals. The department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.