CRAVEN COUNTY — The advisory to avoid fishing and recreational activity in a section of Swift Creek has been lifted now that sample analysis shows the water quality contamination from an animal waste spill reported April 30 has cleared.
The discharge has resulted in the swine farm in Grifton that raises pigs for Smithfield to receive a notice of violation from the state, and possibly a civil penalty.
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Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources regional office advised the public on May 1 to avoid the several-mile stretch of Swift Creek, from Honolulu Road to Highway 118 west of Vanceboro. Staff identified the waste spill at Saint John Farm, 320 St. John Road, which as of its April 19 compliance inspection, had 1,863 pigs of the permitted allowable count of 2,873.
Investigation of the animal waste spill is ongoing, and any files related to the facility, including any enforcement documentation, can be viewed online, officials said.
Among those documents is the notice of violation issued May 9.
Officials state in the notice that the farm has a nondischarge permit for the subject animal waste disposal system, and lists the following four violations and the required corrective action:
- For the discharge of wastewater to surface water, corrective action includes taking the necessary additional steps to ensure that wastewater does not run off from any part of the facility.
- For failure to notify the state of the discharge, the corrective action is to notify the state about any permit violation.
- For failure to maintain fields and irrigation equipment, the corrective action is to make sure that the irrigation system is properly functioning before irrigation occurs and that there is a suitable crop to use the nutrients.
- For excessive ponding and runoff, the facility should irrigate for shorter durations and monitor irrigation events to prevent ponding and runoff.
The company has to provide a written response to the notice within 10 days.
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DEQ has several ways to report environmental concerns to staff. Members of the public who wish to report their concerns can contact a regional office closest to the incident, and DEQ maintains an anonymous comment tool that is routed to the appropriate staff member based on concerns raised.
