Treatment of Duck Wastes and Their
Effects on the Water Quality in the
Rappahannock River, Urbanna, Virginia
R. V. DAVIS, Assistant Executive Director
C. E. COOLEY, Director of Industrial Waste Section
A. W. HADDER, Area Representative
Virginia State Water Control Board
Richmond, Virginia
INTRODUCTION
For the past 30 years, there has been two separate discharges of wastes to the
Rappahannock River from the raising and processing of ducks by Barnhardt Farms,
Incorporated, Urbanna, Virginia.
In the Fall of 1962, the Virginia State Water Control Board, (hereafter referred to as the Board), was faced with the problem of determining if, in the public interest, the two duck farms could continue discharging untreated wastes to
tidal waters in an area used extensively for oyster production and recreation (see
Figure 1).
It seemed apparent that the industry could treat its wastes and maintain water
quality for recreation. However, chemical treatment of the wastes for maintaining water quality consistent with the harvesting of oysters for direct marketing
appeared to be economically inconsistent with the industry's continued operation.
However, the continued discharge of the untreated wastes seemed just as economically unjustified for the oyster producers, because there was a possibility of
permanent restrictions on several hundred acres of adjacent public oyster grounds,
particularly Hoghouse Bar, a highly productive and valuable oyster bed, located
near the mouth of Urbanna Creek.
Research Report No. 4 entitled "Treatment of Long Island Duck Farm
Wastes," published by the New York Department of Health, shows that to reduce
the most probable number of coliform organisms per 100 ml to 2400, which
greatly exceeds the median 70 required for direct marketing of shellfish, would
cost four to 12 cents for each duck. Based on an average cost of eight cents per
duck, the annual cost of disinfecting wastes from the two Virginia farms would be
$46,000. These rough cost figures were substantiated by several consulting engineers practicing in Virginia and did not include capital outlay and equipment.
Since no other duck farms anywhere else in the United States have chlorination
facilities, this would have placed the farms in Virginia at a competitive disadvantage.
Soon after this problem came to the attention of the Board, the staff began to
accumulate information by literature search, correspondence, and by field studies.
With the exception of the New York report, very little information was available.
DESCRIPTION OF FARMING OPERATIONS
The two duck farms operated by Barnhardt are essentially the same, with the
exception  that  the New Farm does not have incubator or processing facilities.
-  626 -