The Oregon dairy producer Lost Valley Farm has settled a lawsuit with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) over wastewater violations. The lawsuit is settled so long as the dairy farm continues to comply with wastewater management conditions.
The lawsuit followed incidents earlier this year when ODA fined the dairy farm $10,000 for several offenses, including allowing wastewater to overflow into illegal areas, failing to maintain lagoon capacity and not reporting such issues.
As a result of the settlement, the farm, which has the capacity to milk 30,000 cows, will cut its daily wastewater production to 65,000 gal and has agreed to ensure their manure lagoons are up to snuff and can withstand large amounts of water in the case of severe storms. If Lost Valley is able to comply with the new standards for one year, they will revert to standard administrative remedies.
The lawsuit was originally filed last month and went through a series of appeals from both ends before the two parties reached an agreement. The construction of the dairy farm itself was also mired in controversy as it met opposition from environmental, animal rights and small farm groups due to the pollution potential.
This marks another industrial wastewater incident for the state of Oregon following hazardous waste discharges by an eyeglass manufacturer.