Puget Soundkeeper Alliance of Seattle and Re Sources for Sustainable Communities of Bellingham have filed a Clean Water Act citizen lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington earlier this month naming Cargill Inc. as defendant.
According to a report by Capital Press, the suit alleges Cargill has been violating the Clean Water Act by releasing polluted stormwater from its animal feed plant at 3rd Avenue and Washington Street.
The allegations are said to be based on water-quality tests submitted by the company to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Cargill Inc. Communications Director Tim Loesche issued this statement,
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Click for more informationWe are aware of the citizen lawsuit filed by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance of Seattle and Re Sources for Sustainable Communities of Bellingham. Environmental stewardship is important to Cargill, and we take this action seriously. Over the last several years, we have worked very closely with the state of Washington Department of Ecology and city officials in Ferndale to ensure our plant is compliant with local and state stormwater regulations. We will continue to work with city and state officials, as well as the two organizations involved in this dispute, to resolve this matter.
According to the Capital Press report, “Ferndale Grain submitted a report in May on plans to reduce the amount of zinc released. Releases last exceeded standards for turbidity in 2015 and for copper in 2013, according to records submitted with the lawsuit.”
City of Ferndale officials say their monitoring of Cargill’s operation pertains to fecal coliform and, regarding that, Cargill is currently in compliance.
Cargill is a 150-year-old company that provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services worldwide. According to the company, they employ 150,000 employees in 70 countries (45,000 in North America).
This story was updated at 11:50am, August 22nd, to include the statement from Cargill’s spokesperson.
