The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined Swift Beef Co. for $275,000 in civil penalties for violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).
The agency contends the company failed to follow CWA permit limits for numerous pollutants at its Grand Island, NE. facility. EPA alleges Swift Beef exceeded permit limits for biochemical oxygen demand, chloride, ammonia, nitrogen and total suspended solids at least 50 times from 2018-23. Suspended solids are fine particles dispersed in water, according to EPA.
“In addition to paying the penalty, the company agreed to perform an analysis to determine the root causes of the facility’s Clean Water Act violations and to submit to EPA a compliance work plan to eliminate future violations,” EPA said. In 2011, Swift Beef paid a fine of $1.2 million for similar violations.
