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This is only the tip of the iceberg. The model for factory farming seems to stem by design from Cornell university. The problem it that it is poisoning the land across the country. It is not just a big spill like this that is doing the damage. Farmers are dumping this stuff on too little land and they immune from the damages that it is doing. They are protected by law. Lobbyist's have seen to it. Gone are the days when farmers dumped a fair amount of solid manure on there pastures to fertilize there crops. They are literally turning the soil in there fields to toxic zones with this liquid manure. Sadly the damage is not limited to there fields. It is contaminating the waters supplies of entire towns with nitrate and who knows what else. Nitrate levels in water supplies are above the federal standards for the first time in areas nearby the Fields where this stuff in being dumped. And the federal government expects private well owners and small towns to clean up the water. This is in spite of the fact that recent studies show that in the long wrong this factory farm model does more to hurt the land and food production that the old fashioned model which did not pile more nitrate into the land and water than it could handle. Does this stink! You bet it does. And it is about time that someone puts a stop to it.

"Farmers are dumping this stuff on too little land and they immune from the damages that it is doing. They are protected by law."

Actually the water here in Iowa is much cleaner since these people took over.
Why, because there used to be many animals fed outside on concrete lots. What do you think happens to those outside lots when it rain? Thats right it all gets washed into wtare systems.
The large outfits spread manure in the fall when the crops come out, and in the spring before planting and knife the manure into the ground. They must do stringent record keeping of how much goes on. There is no better plant fertilizer.
Yes they do have accidents, some very bad like one in NY sounds like.
I dislike corportate animal agriculture for many other reasons, but water quality issues wont fly if you look at the facts.

History seems to be fraught with collisions between nature and man; let's assume for a brief moment that the native americans had an advanced form of communication and, upon migrating from the colder climes of the northeast and the great lakes area, they came across a tributary downstream from a great bison herd just at the peak thaw.

What sort of comments do you suppose one might have read?

Amen! Factory farming is the norm, and although most people eat it's products, they do not realise the disease, and contamination that happens.
We have recently decided that enough is enough for our family and are going to be starting to farm free-range, pasture fed cattle and chickens. Free of hormones and chemicals. We may not make a fantastic amount of money doing it, but we will know that we are doing the best we can for the community and our children. Have you ever read Joel Salatins books. They are an education!