Lawsuit accuses JBS USA of illegal releases of slaughterhouse waste
A lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday accuses meat processing giant JBS USA of illegally dumping slaughterhouse waste from a plant near Greeley into a tributary of the South Platte River.
The lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity and Food & Water Watch says the company, doing business as JBS Swift, has been violating its federal discharge permit for a while by releasing water that exceeds the level of pollutants allowed.
The groups filed the lawsuit in U.S. District in Denver after notifying the company in January that they intended to sue.
“JBS has been knowingly violating the terms of its permit for years, exposing people and wildlife to dangerous slaughterhouse waste,” Hannah Connor, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
JBS didn’t return emails or a phone call seeking comment.
The Lone Tree Wastewater Treatment Plant near Greeley receives up to 4 million gallons of wastewater each year from two slaughterhouses near the confluence of the South Platte and Cache la Poudre rivers, according to the lawsuit.
For years the plant has been violating its permit, which is administered by the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, the environmental organizations said.
The waste produced by the plants include animal fat, blood, meat, bacteria, ammonia and excrement.
The beef plant also processes and preserves animal hides, creating waste loaded with salt, according to the lawsuit.
The wastewater is released into Lone Tree Creek, which flows into the South Platte.
Through the years, the state Water Quality Control Division has sent JBS USA or Swift Beef Co., its subsidiary, advisories saying the company was out of compliance with the discharge permit or had failed to complete monitoring reports, according to online state records.
In 2005, before JBS Holdings acquired Swift, state officials demanded significant improvements to the treatment plant.
The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit JBS from violating the terms of the plant’s discharge permit and to require the company to prevent future violations.