Georgetown chicken plant slapped with $84,000 in fines & fees

Perdue chicken plant in Georgetown has been slapped with over $84,000 in fines and fees for wastewater violations. DNREC issued the penalty over the weekend, saying it relates to a three month period in 2015 when the Georgetown plant dumped water with excessive volumes of ammonia, nitrogen, and bacteria into the Savannah Ditch. The plant was given a $77,300 fine and charged $7,601 for assesment expenses.

DNREC says the chicken plant since found and eliminated the problem and has not been in violation of effluent discharge volumes since July of 2015. In order to offset a portion of the penalty, Perdue will perform an Environmental Improvement Project with the Nature Conservancy, which will convert 39 acres of farmland into forest, which should reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous heading into the Broadkill River.