Mountaire also has been cited for failing to submit a plan of corrective action to fix wastewater-related problems first found seven years ago, as well as failing to report noncompliance in a timely fashion and failing to properly operate and monitor its wastewater discharges.
State environmental officials first found problems with Mountaire’s spray-applied wastewater in fall 2010, when it was discovered groundwater and wells contained more than twice the permitted concentration of nitrates.
In spring 2017, an inspection found total nitrogen concentrations in the effluent as high as 76.75 milligrams per liter – nearly five times the permitted level of 15.6 milligrams per liter.
In addition to the nitrogen violations, DNREC also noted increases in fecal coliform concentration, total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand.
On Aug. 31, a sample found fecal coliform exceeded 1,000,000 colonies per 100 milliliters – more than 5,000 times the permitted level.
On Sept. 26, total nitrogen concentrations were found as high as 641 milligrams per liter – 41 times the permitted level.
The cumulative effect of the nitrogen-related violations also led Mountaire to exceed its annual allowance of 320 pounds per year on all but two of 13 spray fields used to dispose of wastewater from the poultry plant.
The violation notice asserts improper operation of the wastewater treatment facility and spray-irrigation system “has continued to cause the groundwater to exceed drinking water standards for nitrate and nitrogen.” The drinking water standard is 10 milligrams per liter, and 2016 data show groundwater has contained up to 92.5 milligrams per liter of the contaminant.
Total suspended solid limits were violated 24 times between May 2016 and October 2017.
The permit limit is 1-4 milligrams per liter; all violations were below the limit, with the lowest recorded Sept. 6 at 0.03 milligrams per liter.