News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			Healthy Streams and Healthy Horsekeeping by Zoe Kersteen-Tucker Our streams and creeks are in serious trouble. Until recently, coastal San Mateo County streams have supported robust populations of fish and other aquatic species. Long-time coastsiders recall that steelhead were so plentiful not too long ago that "you could scoop them up with pitchforks". Today our native steelhead are so reduced in numbers, they have joined the Coho salmon, California red-legged frog, and the tidewater goby (a small fish found in Pescadero Marsh and San Gregorio lagoon) on the list of federally threatened species. Another beautiful denizen of creeks and wetlands, the San Francisco garter snake, has been listed as endangered for over 20 years.
	Horse Waste and Water Quality by Kathy Switky Many people think that because horse wastes are organic and biodegradable, they can't harm the natural environment. But, like most things, in large quantities, horse wastes can cause serious problems. Swept into our waterways by runoff, they can affect natural chemical and biological processes — and kill aquatic life. Wastes from most animals enter our waterways through surface runoff. In small concentrations such as those present in natural systems, this is not a problem. But large amounts of animal waste — manure, urine, and bedding — generated by confined horses and other animals can suffocate and poison aquatic animals. Nearly all stream life depends on the small amount of oxygen that is naturally dissolved in water. When waste hits the waterways, the balance of oxygen is disrupted. This decomposable material is accompanied by aerobic bacteria that work to break down that material — and the resultant bacterial population boom consumes dissolved oxygen, leaving little for the fish, amphibians, and invertebrates living in the water.  Horse wastes also contain a variety of nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, which in small quantities are essential for the survival of aquatic species. But when nitrogen and phosphorus are overabundant, they can trigger huge growths of algae: algal blooms. The respiration of these algae, like the bacterial decomposition of organic material, uses up even more of the dissolved oxygen in the water.  Horse wastes can also contaminate aquatic habitats directly. In large concentrations, both nitrogen and phosphorus can be toxic. Salt from horse waste can kill fish and other aquatic life. And fish are particularly sensitive to ammonia, a by-product of bacterial conversion of urea, a principal constituent of urine and other animal waste.  In addition to degrading our freshwater systems, horse waste has been identified by federal, state, and local agencies as a major factor in the degradation of coastal water quality. Responsible animal management can minimize all of these threats - so that we can keep our horses and keep our aquatic ecosystems healthy.			Why should we care? We all lose something vital when the web of life upon which we depend is impaired or destroyed. The main cause of species extinction is the degradation and loss of habitat. In many instances this loss is directly related to human activity. It is encouraging that there are many efforts, large and small, to improve stream conditions locally. Hundreds of volunteers each year clean up beaches and creeks, monitor water quality, and replace invasive exotic species with native plants up and down the coast. Many land owners, timber and farm operators are also stepping up to the challenge of reducing sediment sources from rural roads, landslides, and old logging operations. Hundreds of thousands of public dollars are being spent to remove barriers to fish passage, stabilize stream banks, and restore spawning and rearing habitat for fish and other critters in the creeks. These efforts are beginning to show positive effects, but more are needed. Animal waste, particularly when concentrated in confined areas such as corrals or paddocks, can be lethal, to fish, insects, and other aquatic life if it runs into creeks. Mike Rugg, Fisheries Biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, has participated in numerous field investigations focused on the effects of animal wastes on fish and aquatic life. According to Rugg, "in each and every case where animal wastes have been either discharged directly into local creeks, or been inappropriately discarded on the bank or other locations where runoff was carried into the creek, serious impacts have resulted: a fish kill, or serious loss of carrying capacity." We know that the vast majority of horse owners strongly value our special environment and are conscientious in their conservation practices. However, significant areas continue to exist where confined horse facilities may be contributing to stream degradation, with potentially disastrous results for fish. Locations have been documented where manure is routinely dumped over creek banks, and even into creeks, smothering the vegetation and potentially polluting the streams. In other instances, corrals or stables may be too close to creeks to adequately buffer their runoff. Conservation Practices for Horse Owners Limit Horses' Access to Waterways Provide animals with other sources of water and shade Design stream crossings to minimize erosion Prevent trampling of streamside vegetation Keep water clean Divert fresh runoff around contaminated areas to keep clean water clean Divert contaminated runoff from manured areas away from waterways Separate animal yards and manure storage from waterways with vegetated buffer strips Minimize use of chemicals in grooming Do not let horse wash water drain directly into waterways Manage animal waste wisely Clean up manure and soiled bedding regularly, especially during wet weather Store horse waste on an impervious surface and under cover to prevent leaching and runoff Store waste away from waterways Compost! Keep waste piles moist and aerated to promote decomposition Taken from: "Horse Owner's Guide to Water Quality Protection," published by the Council of Bay Area Resource Conservation Districts and funded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Copies of this publication are available from the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, (650) 712-7765.  While there are numerous laws at the State and Federal level that protect stream water quality, these agencies largely depend upon local entities such as cities and the county to develop and enforce water quality protections.  The San Mateo County Stable Ordinance is now being revised. Recent petitions which claim the entire horse community is "under siege" and that "our horse population is literally disappearing from rural San Mateo County" have served to cloud this revision process with fear rather than fact. To be effective, the new ordinance should include requirements for proper manure management and control of runoff to ensure that horsekeeping practices are friendly to the environment. The Coastside Horse Council, a horse advocacy group, has proposed that the new ordinance contain only voluntary self-regulating measures for horsekeeping. While we are entirely supportive of the Horse Council's broad goals of promoting educational programs to foster good horsekeeping and responsible stewardship of the environment, we believe that voluntary programs must also have the backup of clear and enforceable regulations, administered by the County. The Horse Council is also urging the county to grandfather existing ranches, and reclassify horses as livestock under the new ordinance. We believe that grandfathering or exempting all existing horse operations, regardless of their animal waste management practices, will not be productive in the effort to halt coastal stream degradation and encourages continuation of the status quo. We also believe that reclassifying horses as livestock would be contrary to the vast body of State law, and could have unintended consequences for horse owners. We support the Coastside Horse Council's requirement that the new ordinance should establish a reasonable fee structure and we urge the county to include a sliding scale that costs less for smaller operations. We have also proposed that owners who pasture small numbers of horses away from sensitive habitats in the rural areas should be exempted from permits.  There is clearly a reasonable and practical middle ground where the implementation of conservation practices that protect the environment can also promote horse health, build good relations between neighbors and add to a horse property's value. We support both voluntary efforts and clear, reasonable and effective regulations. The health of our coastal streams and their inhabitants depends on all of us! Published May 2001 in Green Footnotes. Reprinted with permission from the Half Moon Bay Review, February 21, 2001. Page last updated August 4, 2001.