COLUMBUS – Contaminated water discharges, including an incident this past weekend that killed fish, mean another contempt charge against Buckeye Egg Farm. The action was filed Monday, Aug. 6, by Ohio Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery in Licking County Common Pleas Court.
It is the seventh time the state has accused the company of violating previous court orders.
“Buckeye Egg cannot continue to ignore their obligations to the law, the environment, and their neighbors,” Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery said. “Enough is enough. This company must comply with the law or suffer the consequences.”
The newest violations are:
* Illegally discharged contaminated egg wash wastewater on Aug. 5 into a tributary of the Raccoon Creek at Licking County facility in Croton that increased the amount of ammonia and other toxic substances to such a degree as to create a nuisance;
* Applied wastewater in a manner that violated the terms of the approved wastewater management plan for Croton;
* Allowed storm water release on July 25 at Licking County facility in Croton.
The Attorney General’s Office is asking for the maximum penalty allowed, including jail time for those responsible and penalties of $10,000 per day, per violation.
The court had approved an agreement between the state and Buckeye Egg on March 1 that requires the company to pay a $1.36 million in civil penalty, and to make substantial changes in the way it does business to comply with Ohio environmental laws.
The state then filed contempt charges on May 3 for violating portions of that agreement. A decision from the court is still pending.
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