May 6, 2010

Washington Beef LLC has agreed to pay US$750,000 as penalty for the violation of the Clean Water Act, under a settlement agreement announced Tuesday (May 4) by the Justice Department.

The company will also handle the installation of an estimated US$3-million wastewater equipment to expand the plant's capacity to treat organic matter and to resolve the allegations.

Rick Stott, Agri Beef executive vice president, said the improvements have been planned for three years. The company also plans to install a biodigester as part of its green technology efforts.

The Justice Department filed a complaint against Washington Beef to have discharged partially treated slaughterhouse wastes into nearby waterways without a permit and exceeded the level of pollutants allowed by its permit on numerous occasions.

The violations occurred between 2003 and 2009, the complaint said.

Water samples on February 5, 2008, showed the beef slaughterhouse had discharged 180 times more faecal matter than allowed under a permit, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Mark MacIntyre said.

EPA, rather than the state, has jurisdiction over wastewater from the slaughterhouse because it is located on the Yakama Indian Reservation.

Stott said that the wastewater went through the plant's treatment system, then into a series of constructed wetlands. Between 500,000-700,000 gallons per day then went to the irrigation system to be applied to farmer's fields in the arid Yakima Valley and had no detrimental water quality impact, Stott said.

The settlement agreement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.