North

Smithfield Foods Withdraws Hog Expansion Request; DWQ Plans to Reissue Current Permit with Added Restrictions

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Division of Water Quality today announced that Virginia-based Smithfield Foods has withdrawn its nearly 3-year-old application to allow expanded production and increased wastewater discharge at its Bladen County hog slaughtering facility.

Carolina Food Processors of Tar Heel had sought to increase its daily discharge of treated wastewater into the Cape Fear River from 3 million gallons to 4.5 million gallons. The company, which applied for the permit in February 1995, had requested the increased capacity to boost production from 24,000 to 32,000 hogs per day in a 6-day work week.

"After a number of discussions we had with the company, they decided to drop their expansion request," said Preston Howard, director of DWQ. "We plan to reissue the current wastewater discharge permit but with some key additional restrictions."

Howard said the new permit does not authorize any increased waste discharges to the Cape Fear and it specifically prohibits any expansion in processing capacity. It also prohibits the company from processing any hogs from farms that have been cited for water quality violations in North Carolina within the preceeding 12 months, he said.

DWQ plans to reissue the facility its current National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit but with several added conditions. A public comment period will be allowed before the decision can become final.

Carolina Food Processors will be allowed to build additional wastewater treatment equipment to help recycle part of the waste stream for reuse in the plant, rather than discharge treated waste into the river.

"For every gallon they recycle, a gallon will remain in the groundwater aquifer," Howard said. "This recycling equipment will also help the company comply with its permit limits."

Conditions of the proposed NPDES permit are to include the following:

  • Processing capacity at the plant is limited to 144,000 hogs per week based on 24,000 hogs per day during a 6-day work week. The current capacity is 24,000 hogs per day;
  • Carolina Food will not be allowed to process hogs from any operation in North Carolina that has received a violation notice from DWQ in the preceding 12 months, beginning on the permit issuance date;
  • Carolina Food cannot buy hogs from any new or expanded swine farms permitted during any legislatively mandated moratorium. North Carolina is currently under a moratorium, which Gov. Jim Hunt signed into law Aug. 27, 1997. This provision becomes effective Feb. 1, 1998;
  • Within 90 days of the permit issuance date, the company must submit to DWQ a plan for optimizing efficiency of its wastewater treatment operations and maintenance.
    • DWQ will provide a 30-day public notice in early February of the draft permit before taking final action. A public hearing could be held if the division receives significant comment during the notice period.

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    Date Posted: January 26


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