Former NC hog-feeding operation pollutes nearby waterways – again

The most recent round of North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality inspections in January cited multiple violations for the Wayne County farm. Formerly called White Oaks Farm, it once contained more than 5,000 hogs as part of a confined animal feeding operation, although no hogs are there now.

The site also has a covered lagoon of hog waste. The former owners were attempting to convert it into methane for energy but the lagoon ruptured and contaminated nearby wetlands.

Samantha Krop, Neuse riverkeeper and director of advocacy for the group Sound Rivers, said the new owner is required to clean up the lagoon but an anonymous tipster informed them the company was pumping the waste into nearby ditches.

“We did confirm that there were numerous pools of what appears to just be pure swine waste – pure black, malodorous contents – in a ditch that flows into the Nahunta Swamp on the site,” Krop explained.

The previous owner had attempted to use anaerobic digesters to produce methane and had even mixed old deli meat and dead hogs from other farms to make biogas production viable. The Department of Environmental Quality fined the former owner $34,000 after the lagoon ruptured. The new owner, Biox Renewables, said it plans to continue producing energy but has to clean up the site first.

There is an approved process for spraying hog waste, but Krop said it is not always followed, resulting in excess waste filtering into groundwater and contaminating waterways.

“This isn’t just bacteria, fecal contamination, but it’s nutrient contamination,” Krop pointed out. “Sometimes this carries heavy metals. This can have significant consequences for fish populations and for humans who interact with these waterways and rely on them for things like drinking water.”

Krop added the covered lagoon needs to be cleaned up to protect the local area.

“It is located close to a flood plain,” Krop stressed. “It is a liability on the landscape and the DEQ has required it to be cleaned out. And so, we want to see that process seen through and seen through properly, not by pumping waste onto nearby farmland.”

Related: NC waterkeeper’s message: The wetlands are in danger, but residents can help