THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510210288
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The Onslow County hog farm where 25 million gallons of animal waste spilled in June has agreed to comply with state rules and repair its lagoon, Attorney General Mike Easley announced Friday.
The agreement by Oceanview Farms is part of a court settlement between Easley and the company. The consent judgment was signed in Onslow County Superior Court.
Waste from the lagoon, which broke after days of heavy rains, flowed into tributaries of the New River and fouled water as far away as the city of Jacksonville. Several thousand fish were killed.
Easley sued the company to force it to clean up the lagoon or close down. A judge ordered Oceanview to comply with state regulations or begin removing hogs.
The legal proceedings against Oceanview came after a summer of animal waste spills at several hog and chicken farms. Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. ordered state inspections at every animal waste lagoon in the state in an effort to head off future environmental problems.
``Hog operations cannot act irresponsibly and continue to operate in our state,'' Easley said. ``Oceanview understands this and now knows the correct course is to comply with the law and correct its problems.''
A telephone message Friday afternoon at Oceanview's office in Richlands seeking comment on the judgment was not immediately returned.
The company's original permit specified that the lagoon waste was to be sprayed on nearby fields. The company cleared less than half the land needed to properly dispose of the waste and did not maintain the cleared land in an environmentally safe manner, according to the state.
Oceanview was supposed to have 102 acres of cleared land but had only 44 cleared.
The company also was told by the state to repair the clay liner on the bottom of the lagoon. Oceanview attorneys argued that the repair was an unnecessary expense because the bottom of the lagoon was natural clay.
Easley said he would monitor Oceanview's compliance with the agreement. The company will be required to post a $200,000 compliance bond to cover the cost of closing the farm if that becomes necessary.
``As I have said all along, the majority of our farmers are very responsible,'' Easley said. ``It is only fair to them that we enforce these regulations.'' by CNB