ATLANTA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Tommy Naylor Farm (Farm), a hog farm in Newton Grove, Sampson County, North Carolina, is cooperating with an Emergency Administrative Order (Order) issued by the Agency.
The Tommy Naylor Farm consists of two swine facilities (Farm no. 1 and no. 2) located at 12785 U.S. Highway 421 in Newton Grove. Together, the two farms occupy approximately 160 acres. The Order pertains only to Farm no. 2, which consists of approximately 1,225 hogs.
The Order, issued in accordance with Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking, addresses nitrate contamination in the underground source of drinking water underlying the Farm, which has resulted in the contamination of private water wells. The contamination may present an imminent and substantial threat to human health and the environment. Nitrate contamination in the groundwater at the facility and vicinity will continue to threaten human health until the source of contamination is removed and the site is remediated or until a permanent alternative source of drinking water is provided.
The Order requires Tommy Naylor Farm to: provide alternate water to residences with contaminated wells; conduct additional sampling of three private wells on a quarterly basis; and propose a plan for an alternate permanent remedy.
Due to documented groundwater standard violations in the private drinking water supply wells adjacent to Farm no. 2, the State of North Carolina has required Tommy Naylor Farm to install six monitoring wells at Farm no. 1 and no. 2. The wells are required to be sampled three times a year to help determine the extent of contamination.
Drinking water with high concentrations of nitrates can cause serious illness and death in infants under six months of age from a condition known as "blue baby syndrome." For adults and children, too much nitrate reduces the capacity of blood to carry oxygen, turning the skin blue, causing shortness of breath, and depriving the brain of oxygen, which impairs metabolism, and other bodily functions. These symptoms can develop rapidly in infants.
Source: Business Wire - November 2001
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Oklahoma
Five hog farms in Kingfisher and Major counties were sanctioned by
the EPA. An agency official said it marked the first time "that we have
seen elevated nitrate concentrations in drinking water that can be directly
linked to hog operations and their lagoons."
EPA ties hog farms to bad water
2001-06-11 [June 11, 2001]
OPPONENTS of concentrated animal feeding operations have finally obtained the evidence they need to support claims of serious water pollution from large hog farms.
For several years the anti-hog farm activists claimed the large feeding operations were polluting groundwater in Oklahoma, but they could not prove it. On Thursday the federal Environmental Protection Agency claimed that groundwater in two Oklahoma counties is contaminated by high levels of nitrates and that the source is factory hog operations linked to Seaboard Farms.
The industry immediately cried foul, claiming the timing of the EPA's announcement was not coincidental. It came just when Gov. Frank Keating was considering a bill to make it harder to stop the proliferation of concentrated animal feeding operations. Thursday, Keating said he welcomed the EPA's intervention.
Five hog farms in Kingfisher and Major counties were sanctioned by the EPA. An agency official said it marked the first time "that we have seen elevated nitrate concentrations in drinking water that can be directly linked to hog operations and their lagoons."
This is a serious claim and one that deserves the full attention of state agriculture and environmental officials. At the same time, there's no reason for panic. Most of Seaboard's operations are farther west, in the Panhandle. There, soil types are different than they are in the two affected counties. Also, the two counties generally receive more rainfall than the Panhandle.
Overall, Seaboard has been a good corporate citizen, reviving the economy of Guymon, its Oklahoma headquarters, and surrounding areas. And it's possible, although unlikely, that the nitrate contamination is not related to the hog farms.
The contamination problem may be further evidence that large hog farms are not suitable for most of Oklahoma. In the areas where groundwater contamination has not been established, there remains the problem of odor from the hog lagoons. Seaboard and similar companies will be under increasing scrutiny from activists and regulators.
While such scrutiny is necessary to preserve the environment, we urge
regulators and citizens not to overreact to Thursday's news. More evidence
is needed before concluding that concentrated animal feeding operations
do more harm than good when their economic benefit is weighed against the
potential for pollution.
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