Meatpacker fined for polluting river with ammonia
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The John Morrell & Co. meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls has agreed to pay a $44,000 fine for polluting the Big Sioux River.
The Argus Leader reports that the company agreed to the civil penalty settlement on Friday with the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The sanctions cover dozens of effluent violations since 2008. In early 2010, the plant was discharging three times the permitted amount of ammonia into the river.
On Thursday, the company was sued in federal court for violations uncovered during an inspection of the hog slaughterhouse.
The newspaper reports that the alleged violations are the latest signs that the company has been struggling to keep the century-old plant in compliance with environmental rules despite spending millions to upgrade its infrastructure.
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