(9/26/11) LOS ANGELES - The E.P.A. is ordering 13 Chino area dairies to comply with Clean Water Act requirements to prevent dairy manure waste and other pollutants from reaching local waterways.
Among the violations discovered at the dairies subject to EPA's orders were:
· failure to construct or maintain controls necessary to prevent manure and other contaminants from discharging into waterways
· failure to take reasonable steps to minimize or prevent discharges
· failure to develop and implement Engineered Waste Management Projects
· failure to conduct proper routine inspections of the facility
"To protect the Santa Ana River watershed, we're taking action to ensure these dairies are prepared for the upcoming winter rains, when animal waste could flow from their dairies into nearby creeks and streams," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "We will also be evaluating whether monetary penalties are appropriate, pursuant to our authority under the federal Clean Water Act."
Inspections to evaluate permit compliance at dairies are an ongoing focus of the E.P.A. and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Between November 2010 and February 2011, Water Board representatives inspected dozens of dairies in the Chino area.
"The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board welcomes and benefits from its partnership with U.S. E.P.A. in regulating waste discharges from dairies within the Santa Ana Region," said Kurt Berchtold, Executive Officer of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We look forward to continued cooperative activities with the E.P.A. in the future to enforce Clean Water Act requirements at the dairies within our region."
Through its administrative process, the E.P.A. is ordering the following dairies to immediately comply with their permit requirements issued by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board:
· Bachoc Dairy #1
· Bollema Dairy
· Bosch Dairy
· Costa Dairy
· El Dorado Dairy
· Falloncrest Farms/ Legend Dairy Farms
· Goyenetche Dairy #3
· John Weststeyn Cattle
· H&R Dairy
· Koot Dairy #2
· Legend Dairy Farms #2
· Syann Dairy #2
· 3 D Dairy
The E.P.A. orders are intended to enhance the dairies' environmental performance as quickly as possible by bringing them into compliance with the basic requirements of their permits.
For more information on the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) program, please visit:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/index.cfm and click on the following links, NPDES Information, NPDES Permit Plan Basics, and concentrated animal feeding operations.
For more information on the E.P.A. Administrative Orders, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/npdes/compliance.html
For more information on the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board,
please visit:
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb8/
