DES MOINES – The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission will consider adopting rules for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) at its Aug. 19 meeting. Commissioners moved the meeting to the Wallace State Office Building Auditorium, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines.

If adopted, the rules will incorporate by reference the federal rules that require CAFOs to comply with national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits. The Iowa Legislature directed adopting the federal rules. Adoption was also a condition of a work plan agreement signed between the DNR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Sept.11, 2013.

The federal rules require confinement feeding operations that are CAFOs and discharge to waters of the U.S. to seek an NPDES permit. Generally, confinements are animal feeding operations that are totally roofed. The U.S. EPA defines a large CAFO as one that confines at least 1,000 cattle or cow/calf pairs, 700 mature dairy cattle, 2,500 finishing swine or 55,000 turkeys.

In other business, commissioners will be asked to approve contracts for watershed projects, statewide groundwater analysis and a food waste study.

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. with public comments to follow. The meeting is open to the public.