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Poultry Wastewater Settlement in Southern Delaware

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DOVER, Del. (AP) - State environmental officials have reached an agreement with a southern Delaware poultry processing company over wastewater violations.

Officials said Wednesday that Allen Harim has signed a conciliation order settling past violations at its processing facility in Harbeson and at a hatchery facility in Dagsboro.

The settlement includes an administrative penalty of $300,000, although half that amount can be applied to a project to improve water quality in the Broadkill River Watershed.

It also calls for Allen Harim to terminate all spray irrigation activities at its Dagsboro poultry hatchery, and for the facility to connect to the Sussex County sewer system.

Officials say the Harbeson facility repeatedly violated its wastewater permit in 2016 for ammonia, phosphorus, total suspended solids and bacteria, but that it is now in compliance following subsequent upgrades.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.