Protect Our Indian River lost an appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court over a clean-up plan by Allen Harim for the former Vlasic pickle plant in Bridgeville. This comes as the Seaford poultry company takes heat for its expansion plans in the state.
Justices without comment upheld the Superior Court decision issued last summer.
Despite the decision by Seaford-based Allen Harim to not process chickens at the site, Protect Our Indian River continued to fight clean-up plans, claiming those efforts would endanger the river and water supplies.
Allen Harim continues to own and use a portion the site for storage and warehousing, but has hired a commercial real estate broker to market other space in the large complex. It also plans to continue to clean up pollution caused by the operations of the pickle plant.
The processor has also encountered opposition to plans to expand production at its site in Harbeson, a town about 12 miles west of Rehoboth Beach. It also announced on Tuesday the closing of a smaller processing plant in Cordova, MD on the Eastern Shore.
According to a Cape Gazette story, the company plans a $35 million upgrade of the Harbeson site that includes the wastewater project. That announcement was made before the announcement of the closing of the Cordova site.
The Harbeson plant is located in an area that has seen rapid population growth, due to a location that is an easy drive to the beach. The site is also near Delaware’s inland bays, an area that has struggled with run-off issues.
Opponents have claimed wastewater discharges have exceeded limits for years, with DNREC failing to monitor the situation.
Allen Harim has also drawn fire from normally pro-business legislator Steve Smyk, R-Milton. Smyk has not been happy with the process of approving permits for Harberson and the possible impact of operations on neighbors.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control says the Harbeson plant can move to full production if its wastewater treatment system is fully upgraded. The upgrade is coming with the help of lower-interest state loans.
