The objective of this publication is to identify the differences and similarities between managing municipal wastewater and managing the manure from grow-finish pig systems. There are two defining differences between domestic wastewater treatment and animal manure systems:1. Domestic wastewater systems discharge large volumes of treated water directly to surface waters of the state, whereas it is illegal to discharge manure from storage facilities or in runoff
from agricultural fields into surface waters of the state. 2. Manure is a valued fertilizer on many hog operations, whereas human excreta are a component of a waste stream that is a net cost for homeowners, towns and municipalities.
Hog manure typically has little added wasteewater,
resulting in a product that has substantially higher concentrations of nutrients and organic matter than human wastewater. These higher concentrations make it feasible to use the manure as a fertilizer source for crop production.