Wetlands with Heavy Algae Growth Adjacent to Hog Factory Farm

Warsaw, North Carolina, USA

Hog waste is stored in lagoons until it can be sprayed onto fields for disposal. The eastern part of North Carolina is characterized by many estuary systems, so anything on a field runs off immediately into the adjacent wetland, then to the river, and finally to the ocean. In the wetlands the elevated nutrient level from the fecal matter causes rampant algae growth. The algae is toxic to most of the other life in the wetland, and it absorbs all the dissolved oxygen in the water which suffocates the other life forms.

Many thanks to Neuse Riverkeeper for flight support!