LENEXA, KAN. — Swift Beef Co., a JBS subsidiary, will pay $275,000 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act, according to a news release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The release said Swift Beef failed to comply with Clean Water Act permit limits for several pollutants at its Grand Island, Neb., facility.
The EPA alleged that Swift Beef exceeded permit limits for biochemical oxygen demand, chloride, ammonia, nitrogen and total suspended solids at least 50 times cumulatively between 2018 and 2023.
In the settlement documents, Swift Beef agreed to perform an analysis to determine the root causes of the alleged violations and to submit a compliance work plan to the EPA to avoid future violations.
The EPA said the community surrounding Swift Beef’s Grand Island facility is a potentially sensitive location for proximity to hazardous wastes.
Previously, in 2011, Swift Beef faced fines for Clean Water Act violations. The company paid $1.2 million for violations similar to the ones at present.