Cleanup to begin at Karler meat packing plant
Wastewater, manure and blood were discharged into ponds at slaughterhouse
The first steps to clean up contamination left by an old South Valley slaughterhouse have been taken more than 20 years after Karler Meat Packing filed for bankruptcy and shuttered its operations.
Soil and groundwater at the site of the facility, located at 9111 Broadway SE, were contaminated during Karler’s 40-plus years in operation.
The state Environment Department announced Wednesday that the current owners of the property have submitted a plan to examine the extent of the contamination.
“There are no indications that drinking water has been affected in the area,” said Justin Ball of the New Mexico Environment Department’s Ground Water Quality Bureau. “The site is far from (Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority) water supply wells.”
According to the Stage 1 abatement plan submitted by Albuquerque-based Souder, Miller & Associates, wastewater, blood and manure were discharged into unlined ponds and arroyos onsite throughout the plant’s decades of operation.
The facility was permitted by the state to discharge water in 1977 after it enacted new regulations.
The firm proposes testing groundwater through existing wells and digging additional ones, as well as boring holes to test soil.
But the investigation can’t begin until the owners sell the water rights to the property.
“Until the sale is complete, no funds are available to complete the investigation work,” the report reads. “The investigation will be completed within 180 days of receipt of funds from sale of water rights associated with the property.”
Court documents from 2015 indicate the Stage 1 study is estimated to cost $20,000.
Karler Meat Packing was opened in 1957 by Jesse Karler with around 10 employees, according to a 1958 Journal article.
By 1983, Karler had 240 employees and reported more than $30 million in revenue.
The company filed for bankruptcy in 1996 with around $2.5million in debt and closed soon after that.
Karler ran afoul of environmental regulations and its neighbors multiple times throughout its existence.