By The Chronicle, 6/19/2001
CURTIS -- Jer-Osa Dairy of Curtis was fined $34,000 Monday by the Department of Ecology for allowing an estimated 2 to 3 million gallons of liquid manure to reach the south fork of the Chehalis River in February.
According to a DOE investigation, owners Jerome Rosa and Sean Nugent deliberately breached a manure storage pond because it was cheaper than fixing a pump.
The pond was about to overflow at the time of the breach, according to a release from Sandy Howard, public information manager for DOE.
As a result of the breach, liquid manure flowed into a ditch and a field drain tile, both of which drain to the river, Howard said.
The manure flow lasted about five hours and caused significant water-quality violations for more than four days, she said.
''Fortunately, water was not being withdrawn downstream of the sites at the time of the manure discharge,'' the release reads.
Water from the Chehalis River is sometimes treated and used for potable drinking water both upstream and downstream of the release location.
The Chehalis River suffers from high fecal coliform levels, which indicate the presence of harmful bacteria.
Humans who drink the water can get sick, and fish can be choked when algae blooms rob the water of oxygen.
Dairies are a major source of ''non-point pollution'' into rivers such as the Chehalis, Howard said.
On May 4, DOE ordered the owners of Jer-Osa to immediately cease discharging manure, and to have the manure pond repaired and evaluated by licensed engineers.
The owners were also required to obtain and implement an approved dairy-waste plan, or farm plan, no later than Dec. 15.
Rosa and Nugent have 15 days to apply to Ecology for relief from the penalty, or 30 days to appeal the fine to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.
The dairy owners did not respond to requests for comment.
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