Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 12/1/11

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it has asked four poultry growers in West Virginia to stop discharging pollutants from farms to waterways and obtain the necessary permits that are required by federal law.

EPA’s orders follow inspections in June of five chicken and turkey operations in West Virginia, the agency said in a news release. The inspections found that four of the five operations were concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) as defined by the Clean Water Act and that they had neither applied for nor obtained the required discharge permits. The fifth grower had already applied for the permit.

The agency said it also found that at four of the facilities man-made ditches draining stormwater away from poultry houses and sheds containing manure and compost allowed pollutants to discharge to waterways during rains.

EPA’s actions are part of an ongoing initiative to improve water quality in local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.

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