The devastating floods that brought tragedy and devastation to thousands of people across the Midwest have also generated countless stories of heroism and sacrifice. As the waters rose, people banded together to save lives and property. As the clean up began, communities came together to rebuilt.

For generations to come there will be stories told about the flood of 2008. There is a story about the flood of 2008 that is not being told but should be. It is a story that should be shared with county officials and state lawmakers. It is a true story that proves what livestock producers have been saying for a long time.

It is a well-known, if seldom discussed, fact that when it rains the sewage systems of most cities fill with rain water. These systems can handle the average amount of rain a community gets. But when Mother Nature decides to dump 6 to 8 to 12 inches of rain in a 24 hour period, no system in use can handle that amount of storm water.

This excess water, along with the city’s raw sewage is then discharged into a nearby lake, river or other body of water. During the rains of the past few weeks, millions of gallons of raw sewage were discharged into the waters of the state. This was not reported on as news because this is what is supposed to happen and is perfectly legal by environmental regulations.

Contrast that to what does not happen at Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). In order to receive a permit to operate, these facilities must be designed, constructed and operated in a way to prevent any discharge into the “waters of the state.” To date, during the flood of 2008, there were no reported spills from CAFOs in Indiana.

Don Villwock, president of Indiana Farm Bureau, recently told me, “Just one of the storms we had caused more raw sewage to be dumped in waterways from just one medium-sized city than has been spilled by all the CAFOs in the state in the entire history of IDEM recordkeeping.”

Villwock said people need to focus more on the urban discharges rather than those from livestock operations. By law, CAFOs are zero-discharge operations – a status that is not even required of heavy industry or of our municipalities.

So next time at a county planning commission meeting when some local residents scream and shout about how the proposed livestock operation will poison the water of their community, I hope someone reminds them that their own city water system poses a much larger threat to the water supply every time it rains.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.