Livestock & Water Security
Table of Contents
Water Use
Livestock farming uses between 70 and 90% of global water use. Farmers have been extracting water for livestock and their feed faster than our natural water cycle can replenish these ancient water sources.
Aquifer levels are dropping, rivers are drying up, and dead zones being created by their massive amounts of manure run off. After decades of ignoring the warning signs, these effects are increasingly impacting major cities.
Unfortunately water use is only part of the problem. Contamination from livestock manure, human sewage, field runoff (particularly pesticides, antibiotics, and fertilizers) all contribute to make once-clean water less safe to drink for everyone. Around 2/3 of the world's rivers now have worrying levels of antibiotics, which are increasingly used in livestock, and are becoming increasingly useless against infectious disease.
The increasing levels of nutrient waste has led to a noticeable increase in toxic algae blooms and dead zones in bays, lakes, and oceans.
Water Pollution
Manure Run Off
Nitrites Nitrates in Drinking Water
Dead Zones
https://dirt-to-dinner.com/what-are-dead-zones/
Erosion From Grazing Impacts Waterways
Cattle have a habit of congregating around and in waterways where their hooves dislodge the soil. Over time the soil and plant roots holding it together become so damaged the soil ends up being washed away, causing significant erosion over time. Nutrient loss on land coincides with waterway pollution from livestock allowed to roam too close. - Cattle Destroy Streams
Livestock Emissions Cause Acidification
Ammonia and nitrous oxide produce acid rain, which impacts soil and water. Acidification of aquatic ecosystems harms corals, crustaceans, and many other species including the casings for their eggs.
Crop Fertilizer Contamination
Wastewater sludge used to produce livestock feed has been found to contain PFAS.
PFAS is a dangerous chemical that has been found to bioaccumulate in animals meat, milk, and eggs.
Click the PFAS button to learn more about the sources of PFAS, it's affects on people, what products to avoid or consider switching to avoid them.
Click the PFAS Cleanup button to learn about how PFAS can be removed from water, soil, and even human bodies.
Livestock Impact on The Water Cycle
Deforestation impairs the water cycle, and since beef is responsible for 5 times more deforestation than any other industry, we can safely say that the disruption of "rivers in the sky" historically produced by rainforests can be attributed at least in part to the meat and feed industries.