EPA Issues CWA Orders to Arkansas Egg Co.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued administrative orders to three Arkansas Egg Co. facilities in Arkansas for violations of the Clean Water Act.
The facilities, Blair Farm in Benton County, and Summers Farm and Appleton Farm, both in Washington County, were found to be out of compliance with their Clean Water Act discharge permits.
In February 2008, EPA and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) inspectors observed that all three facilities had used chicken litter in amounts exceeding those designated in their waste management plans. The facilities also failed to operate their liquid animal waste collection and containment systems properly. Summers and Blair Farms also were cited for failure to dispose of dead animals appropriately and maintain their carcass incinerators. Additionally, the Appleton Farm had failed to maintain the required 35-feet setback distance from streams at waste application sites.
Other violations noted included failure to maintain proper levels in waste collection systems, failure to maintain records indicating locations of fields where animal waste has been applied, and failure to properly dispose of liquid and solid animal wastes.
Based on these findings, EPA has ordered Arkansas Egg Co. to immediately remove all animal carcasses, begin utilizing proper carcass incineration and liquid waste procedures, properly remove non-contained liquid manure, and initiate application of liquid and solid wastes to land application as required by their discharge permits and waste management plans.
Arkansas Egg Co. has also been ordered to provide maps of all owned or leased liquid animal waste or solid waste application fields showing field locations, soil sample analyses for the last five years, cropping schemes, copies of calculations used for waste application, applications records, and liquid and solid manure sample analysis.