BOISE, Idaho. — W/T Land & Cattle Inc. has reached a $42,000 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for discharging pollutants to the Boise River without a Clean Water Act permit, according to a press release.
W/T Land & Cattle is a cattle feedlot located on the banks of the Boise River near Notus, Idaho.
In 2011, EPA received numerous local complaints that the facility was flooded with water from the Boise River. Later, inspection results and other information showed W/T Land & Cattle had been discharging pollution to the Boise River during and after flood events.
As flood water receded, the feedlot waste in the water moved through the sandy soil and a permeable berm to reach the river, noted the release.
According to Edward Kowalski, director of EPA’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle, protecting Idaho’s water quality means paying attention to the different ways pollution can reach rivers and streams.
"Feedlot operators along rivers and streams need to be extra diligent to protect Idaho’s waters,” said Kowalski. “In high water, animal waste can take several paths to nearby waterways. Feedlots discharging pollutants to waters of the United States need a permit.”
Read the entire press release here.
