Poultry processor Allen Harim agrees to $300,000 settlement with DNREC

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The Delaware  Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and Allen Harim, LLC  signed a Conciliation Order by Consent in settling violations at a  poultry processing facility in Harbeson and at its hatchery  in Dagsboro.

The settlement includes $300,000 to be  paid by  Allen Harim, a part of a Korean poultry producer that purchased assets of long-time Delaware processor Allen Family Foods.

The  order  also calls for Allen Harim to stop all spray irrigation activities at its Dagsboro poultry hatchery, and for the facility to connect to the Sussex County sanitary sewer system to address the company’s future wastewater needs. Upgrades already are in place at Allen Harim’s Harbeson facility that address wastewater issues

According to DNREC,” From July through November 2016, Allen Harim’s Harbeson poultry processing facility had numerous violations of their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater permit for ammonia, phosphorus, total suspended solids, and bacteria. DNREC issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty Assessment and Secretary’s Order to address these and prior violations of the facility’s NPDES permit. Subsequent upgrades at the Harbeson facility has enabled Allen Harim to operate in compliance with their permit.”

Allen Harim met with DNREC following the release of the Secretary’s Order.

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The Dagsboro hatchery has a permit that authorizes the spray irrigation of screened hatchery process wastewater under a set nitrogen-loading limit. Allen Harim’s 2016 and 2017 annual reports to DNREC show that the company exceeded those loading limits, and two on-site groundwater monitoring wells revealed an impact to groundwater from the operation. Allen Harim has agreed to terminate all spray irrigation operations at the Dagsboro facility. 

The order requires that Allen Harim reimburse DNREC $7,888 for expenses incurred during the Department’s investigation.

The order also allows Allen Harim to perform an Environmental Improvement Project (EIP) within the Broadkill River Watershed to improve water quality by eliminating a source of nutrient runoff. Allen Harim may apply up to $150,000 of the assessed penalty towards implementing the improvements.

This allowance by DNREC will not reduce the amount paid by Allen Harim, but will redirect part of the penalty into water quality improvements in the  watershed.

The consent decree can be found on the DNREC website at http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/SecOrders_Enforcement.aspx.

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