Meat packer fined for mishandling slaughterhouse wastewater

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A Lane County meat packer is again facing fines for alleged deficiencies in handling wastewater from its slaughterhouse.

The Register-Guard reports (https://bit.ly/1cTIkAv ) the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a $30,147 fine earlier this month to Bartels Packing.

DEQ says the company failed to conduct wastewater sampling in 2013 and falsified another wastewater report.

Bartels stores wastewater from the slaughterhouse in two onsite lagoons and then sprays the water onto its adjacent pastureland. The state requires Bartels to monitor the process.

The company said it has increased its oversight and will appeal the fine.

The DEQ has previously fined the company for discharging wastewater into the waterways.

Willamette Riverkeeper, a Portland environmental group, in April notified Bartels it would sue the company if Bartels failed to correct violations.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com