Hog farm modification produces debate; Public hearing in Jasper

By DAVID HOLSTED Harrison Daily Times - Harrison, Arkansas

JASPER — Opinions differed, as usual, at a public hearing about the C&H Hog Farm.

What we have here is little more than a public relations effort to conceal the major pollution threat to the Buffalo River by C&H Hog Farms,” was the testimony of hydrogeologist Tom Aley. Evan Teague of the Arkansas Farm Bureau saw it differently.

“This was one thing that was asked for by environmental groups,” he said. “This is what you asked for.”

The subject of controversy at the two-hour hearing held at the Jasper School was a request by C&H Farms to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for modifications to the farm’s waste storage ponds. The hearing, which was attended by several dozen people, was requested by the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance.

C&H Farms is a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) located near Mt. Judea. The farm has about 6,000 hogs, and environmentalists have long contended that the waste from the animals eventually finds its way into the nearby Buffalo National River.

As explained by John Bailey, ADEQ permits branch manager, the requested modifications are 60-mil high density polyethylene (HDPE) liners in both waste storage ponds; an 80-mil HDPE cover on pond one; and a flare system on pond one to burn off methane gas.

Currently both ponds have an 18-inch clay lining.

Bailey added that the cost of installation will be paid for by C&H, and it will be checked by a licensed engineer.

He went on to say that the optimum time for installation of the liners and cover would be during the summer to allow for quicker drying of the ponds. He expected it to take one or two days depending on the weather.

There was some skepticism among some audience members about the integrity of the clay liners that are already in place. If the ponds were supposed to be state of the art, they asked, why was there a need for further modifications?

“If the liner proved inadequate,” one person said, “what happens when the modification proves inadequate? Maybe you should be reviewing your requirements for further modifications.”

Jack Stewart, vice-president of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, was perplexed as to why a public hearing was held at taxpayer expense when a decision on the modifications had already been made. It was his belief that the C&H ponds were already leaking waste water. Adding HDPE liners will not stop the leakage, he added, and he urged a thorough study be done on the ground underneath the ponds.

Though he could not be at the meeting, Aley’s testimony was included in the public comment section. The testimony was an assessment prepared at the request of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance.

According to Aley, who is president and senior hydrogeologist for Ozark Underground Laboratory, Inc., “Arkansas lacks effective groundwater protection controls as is demonstrated by the existence of this hog farm and its manure ponds.”

Aley went on to say in his testimony that “retrofitting liners in the C&H manure ponds so that they will not leak or rupture will, at best, be a very challenging operation.”

Aley summarized his findings by saying that the proposed liners may be beneficial, they would not negate the serious pollution risks associated with the manure ponds.

Kathy Downs of Jasper expressed disappointment with the ADEQ, accusing it of trying to put a Band-Aid on a huge wound.

“The basic job of the ADEQ is to protect the environment,” Downs said, “and you’re not doing it.”

It was her opinion that the whole thing was political, and the fix was in.

“We don’t want to see the ADEQ turn their backs again and again on our efforts to protect the environment,” Downs said. “Please, ADEQ, do your job.”

Teague, who is from Little Rock, insisted that the modifications were not being done because the original clay liners were defective. The ponds met the minimum standards, he said. Rather, the HDPE liners were being installed because opponents of C&H Farms wanted them installed.

Jerry Masters of Dover was even more passionate in his defense of C&H Farms. A member of the Arkansas Pork Producers Association, Masters repeated Teague’s claim that the HDPE liners were being put in for the environmentalists and activists. Yet, they were still protesting.

“That tells me that many of you won’t be satisfied until the padlocks are put on the doors of C&H and it’s closed,” he said.

Masters’ charge resulted in enthusiastic applause from many in the audience and a cry of “That’s right!”

Masters continued by defending the owners of C&H Farms, calling them people of high integrity and victims of continual harassment.

“You all requested these,” Masters said of the modifications, “and you’re still opposed.”