Sugar Valley Group Appeals to County about Nicholas Meat; Company Says Solution to Concerns Being Sought
LOGANTON, PA – A group calling itself the Friends of a Livable Sugar Valley has gone to the Clinton County Commissioners with its concerns about air and water quality in the vicinity of Nicholas Meat, a packing plant located on the east side of Loganton.
Commissioner Angela Harding at Thursday’s commissioners meeting said two petitions from the group have been shared with the state Department of Environmental Protection. She said the commissioners will “work with them on what we can as a county and what we can collaboratively to help the citizens.”
One petition carries 376 signatures and asks DEP to institute a water quality monitoring program in and around fields where (what the petitioners call) blood waste from the Nicholas slaughterhouse is applied. That petition asks for “local and countywide ordinances that mandate anyone land-applying food processing residuals (aka blood waste) apply for, and receive, an annual permit from the county.”
The petition expresses concerns about ground-water contamination, noting the sprayed fields’ proximity to Fishing Creek “right in the middle of it all” and, “The hydrology and geology of Sugar Valley make the area highly susceptible to groundwater pollution.” That petition also seeks an odor management plan as part of any permit.
The second petition, with 401 signatures, concerns “the impact slaughterhouses have on air quality and how that may affect public health.” The petition says “the sickening stench from Nicholas Meat’s slaughterhouse…can be smelled for miles.” That petition wants DEP to test and monitor the air surrounding the plant and the fields where the residual waste is applied.
Asked to respond to the petition effort from the Sugar Valley group, Nicholas Meat provided therecord-online with a statement. It said the company is “not aware that any of our land application practices have resulted in contamination of area water and wells.” The company said “food processing residuals (FPR) are safely applied to area farmland because they are beneficial for both soils and crops.” The Nicholas statement said the company follows applicable laws and regulations.
It also detailed company plans for management of the “FPRs” other than applying them to farmland. Nicholas is pursuing permitting for construction of a “Sustainable Resource Facility” which it said would allow the company to recycle FPRs and water within the plant, reducing its withdrawal from the aquifer and also generating biogas to help the company runs its operations.
The complete Nicholas statement:
NICHOLAS MEAT STATEMENT
10-30-2020
Nicholas Meat, LLC. has been a family run business in Loganton for more than 30 years. More than a business, our family is thankful to call this area our home and provide employment for 350 people. We value the community as well as caring for our natural resources like water, air and land just as much others who live here. We understand there are concerns. However, we are not aware that any of our land application practices have resulted in contamination of area water and wells.
Water quality is essential to community residents as well as to our business. That’s why we do all we can to ensure we have safe water and also why we carefully follow the regulatory requirements placed upon our business. Nutrient-rich food processing residuals (FPR) are safely applied to area farmland because they are beneficial for both soils and crops. We strictly follow applicable laws and regulations in these applications. This process is a practice supported by the EPA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, soil scientists and other agriculture experts.
Are there other options for management of these FPR? Yes. We can recycle these residuals and have been ardently pursuing a plan to do just that.
For the past two years Nicholas Meat has been dedicated to following the rigorous permitting process set forth by the Pennsylvania Environmental Department to receive the necessary permits for the construction of a Sustainable Resource Facility. This facility will allow Nicholas Meat to recycle FPR and water within the plant, greatly reducing its withdrawal of water from the aquifer, with the added benefit of generating biogas to help Nicholas Meat run its operations, which will also reduce its carbon footprint.
This is the most ambitious project we’ve proposed, and we believe it will bring many benefits to the entire community.
Due to the nature of the project, the permit application process is complex and involves review by local governing bodies and state regulatory agencies.
Nicholas Meat has diligently worked to surmount the information required and has made significant financial investment to achieve the goal of constructing this environmentally conscious facility. Nicholas Meat intends to move forward with construction as soon as it is authorized to do so.
We strongly believe the proposed Sustainable Resource Facility is ethically and environmentally the most meaningful improvement we can make for all those who work at Nicholas Meat and for all who call this area home. We welcome community and political support to get this facility built.
