JEFFERSON CITY — A company that has been at the center of a controversy of what should be done with waste from Missouri meat processing facilities has reached a settlement with environmental regulators.
Arkansas-based Denali Water Solutions issued a statement Wednesday saying it has inked a deal with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to stop spreading meatpacking sludge on farmland.
“Denali has agreed to begin pumping and hauling the food processing residuals stored in the basins to a Missouri wastewater treatment plant or to outlets out of state,” the statement noted.
The company noted that the new requirement to transport and process the contents of waste current stored in three basins in southwest Missouri “is a costly decision that will impact Missouri farmers and food manufacturers.”
Included in the agreement are administrative penalties worth more than $20,000.
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The agreement comes as lawmakers are crafting legislation designed to regulate the business practices of Denali and other companies as a way to avoid potential environmental disasters.
Rural residents in the southwest and northeast parts of the state have complained that storage lagoons are lowering property values with strong smells and possible leaks into the state’s waterways.
A House committee has approved a proposed change in state law requiring setback requirements for lagoons so that the storage pits are not built too close to homes and businesses.The measure also calls for monthly testing for heavy metals and pathogens, to ensure those materials are not being spread on cropland.
Rep. Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, inserted language exempting large animal feeding operations from the proposed law. Those farms are regulated under a different set of rules.
Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby, is sponsoring a similar plan in the Senate, designed to strengthen the permitting process, potentially making it harder for companies to collect the material from meatpackers unless it is tested and deemed safe for spreading.
Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Noel, who is sponsoring a House version, said Wednesday the agreement wouldn’t stop the legislation from moving forward because the DNR-Denali pact only applies to one company.
“There needs to be greater protections in place to protect agriculture and the environment,” Deaton said.
In addition, there are lawsuits underway that could affect future agreements.
Stephen Jeffery, an attorney for a group of Randolph County residents, said his clients want the spreading of the wastes to stop.
“My clients believe that any land application of these wastes with little, if any oversight, is not ‘beneficial’ — rather, such shoddy practices (as shown by the multiple spills in MO and other States) will likely result in the degradation of water quality,” he said in an email Wednesday.
During earlier testimony on the House proposal, Bryan Hall, presiding commissioner of McDonald County, said hazardous material from the company could affect streams and waterways. The smell is overwhelming and has resulted in the closure of schools and restaurants, he added.
And, Hall said, roads and bridges also are deteriorating because of the heavy truck traffic.
“We’ve been blessed with what God has given us and we want to protect that,” Hall told members of the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.
Sid Conklin, president commissioner of Randolph County, said officials there have approved rules that require any future lagoons to be built at least a mile from nearby residences.
Denali has contended that it is exempt from state fertilizer laws because it doesn’t sell its waste products, which it collects in tanker trucks from companies that process beef, pork chicken and turkey.
On Wednesday, the company said its practices are “crucial to protecting water quality in Missouri and necessary for the success of both food production and farming operations in the state.
“Denali continues to work with the Missouri legislature, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on long-term solutions to ensure positive outcomes for businesses, farmers, and communities in Missouri,” said company spokesman Samuel Liebl.
The legislation is House Bill 1 and House Bill 2