  |
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 13, 1998
98-176
Contact: Sandy Howard Rudnick, public information manager, (360) 407-6239
OLYMPIA - A Littlerock dairy has been fined for improperly managing its dairy waste and threatening the water quality of Mima Creek, a tributary of Thurston County's Black River.
Based upon three separate events in late August and early September, the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the 2,500-head Black River Ranch dairy a $11,000 penalty.
"Overall, most of the dairies in the upper Chehalis watershed are in compliance with state water-quality laws and above the average statewide" said Keli McKay-Means, a water-quality manager for Ecology.
During a round of inspections earlier this year, Ecology found that 17 of 50 dairies upstream from Porter were in compliance with state water-quality laws. This compliance rate of 34 percent far exceeds the statewide dairy-compliance average of 20 percent.
At that time, only one of the dairies received a substantial penalty, a $7,000 fine, for poor management practices that resulted in the discharge of dairy waste into the Chehalis River watershed.
The size of the penalty issued to the Black River Ranch was based on the dairy's past history of violations, its current lack of progress on implementing acceptable management practices and the overall size of the facility, McKay-Means said.
Among Ecology's findings, Black River Ranch allowed discharge of feedlot runoff to a gravel excavation site. It allowed animal waste to be sprayed into trees and vegetation of the Mima Creek corridor and to properties on the other side of Mima Creek. Also, animal waste was sprayed on fields immediately adjacent to Mima Creek and allowed to drift to the other side of the creek, creating a film of waste on a neighbor's vehicle.
Black River Ranch has a history of animal-waste discharges dating back to the early 1990s. Until the recent events, the dairy had made significant improvements in managing its dairy waste.
A new state law requires that all dairy farms in the state be inspected to ensure compliance with state water-quality laws. Prior to the law, inspections occurred primarily in response to citizen complaints.
The new legislation gives dairy farmers until Dec. 31, 2003, to implement approved waste-management plans. The law establishes a technical-assistance and inspection program for all dairy farms. State agencies and the dairy industry are working with conservation districts to provide the technical information needed to develop those plans.
Highlights of the new dairy-waste management law include:
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
