Apply for a Department of Environmental Protection Concentrated Animal Feeding Permit

A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) meets specific criteria set by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

1. It's a Concentrated Animal Operation (CAO) with over 300 Animal Equivalent Units (AEUs).

2. It has more than 1,000 AEUs.

3. It qualifies as a large CAFO under EPA rules.

A CAO, defined by the State Conservation Commission (SCC), has eight or more AEUs and exceeds two AEUs per acre annually. One AEU equals 1,000 pounds of livestock or poultry.

In Pennsylvania, CAFOs must get a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The DEP manages this program under an agreement with the EPA. A CAFO's production area is a point source. Pollutant discharges are only allowed during heavy rain, known as "design storm events." The allowance depends on the animals and ranges from a 25-year to a 100-year storm event.

For over 20 years, the DEP has run the NPDES CAFO program. CAFOs can apply for the PAG-12 General Permit or an individual permit. Both require annual reports. The current PAG-12 permit is valid from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2029.