Livestock Waste Management and Conservation

CAFO Permits and Regulations

Step 1:

The first step of the permitting process is to determine if your operation is required to seek coverage under a General or Individual NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Permit.

Do I Need A Permit?

Step 2:

The second step is to understand the current Tennessee CAFO regulations. The factsheets listed below explain the current state CAFO regulations in detail. Additional factsheets explain how to properly sample manure and litter, the Tennessee Phosphorus Risk Index, etc. There are also forms that CAFO operators will need as part of the record keeping requirements of the permit.

Permit Requirements for Tennessee's Dairy Industry (W080/CAFO Factsheet#1)
Permit Requirements for the Poultry Industry (W081/CAFO Factsheet#2)
Permit Requirements for the Swine Industry (W082/CAFO Factsheet#3)
No Potential to Discharge Determination (W083/CAFO Factsheet#4)
Transferring Manure, Litter or Wastewater to a Third Party (W084/CAFO Factsheet #5
Nutrient Management Plans (W085/CAFO Factsheet#6)
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (W086/CAFO Factsheet#7)
New Construction on CAFOs and Construction of New CAFOs (W087/CAFO Factsheet#8
CAFO Inspections (W088/CAFO Factsheet#9)
Discharge Events (W089/CAFO Factsheet#10)
Recordkeeping (W090/CAFO Factsheet#11)
Annual Report (W091/CAFO Factsheet#12)
Terminating a Permit (W092/Factsheet#13)
Procedures for Manure and Litter Sampling (W093/CAFO Factsheet#14)
Tennessee Phosphorus Risk Index (W094/CAFO Factsheet#15)
Closure/Rehabilitation of Waste Storage Facilities (W103/CAFO Factsheet #16)
Agreement for the Removal of Litter, Manure and/or Process Wastewater from a CAFO (W095/CAFO Appendix A)
Name of Persons and/or Firms Removing Litter, Manure and/or Process Wastewater from CAFOs (W096/CAFO Appendix B)
Permit Termination Template (W097/CAFO Appendix C)
Annual Report Template (W098/CAFO Appendix D)
Discharge Monitoring Report

Step 3:

The third step of the permitting process is applying for either an Individual or General NPDES Permit.

Large (Class I) CAFO producers must apply for an Individual Permit. Complete EPA Form 1 and EPA Form 2B.

Medium (Class II) CAFO producers must apply for a General Permit. Complete the Notice of Intent Form.

All permit applications must be submitted to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).

Water Resources Program/CAFO
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Ellington Agricultural Center
440 Hogan Road
Nashville, TN 37220

Division of Water Pollution Control/CAFO
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
6 th Floor L&C Annex, 401 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37243-1534

Even if the application is incomplete (i.e., no nutrient management plan or closure plan), it is advisable to turn in the application as soon as possible.

Step 4:

As part of the permit process, CAFO operators must develop (depending on the size and the type of CAFO) either a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) or a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP). Do you need a NMP or a CNMP?
These plans must be completed by December 31, 2006.

Step 5:

An additional component of the permit application is the development of a Closure Plan. See Factsheet #16 for additional information.