Poultry processor Mountaire has been served with a notice of violation for its wastewater operations at its plant in Millsboro by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The plant uses a spray irrigation system on adjacent farm fields.
According to the notice of violation, the discharges exceed specified limits for nitrates by 25 percent, according to materials accompanying a story in the Cape Gazette.
The site has been monitored for excessive levels of nitrates in wells and groundwater for years, according to the notice. The company has taken steps that included the addition of equipment aimed at cutting nitrogen levels.
DNREC claims that nitrogen levels in groundwater exceed drinking water standards for nitrate nitrogen. Neighbors near the site are to be given bottled water.
DNREC also cited the company for not filing paperwork on applying sludge from the waste treatment plant on farm fields as fertilizer.
