Pomme de Terre Wastewater Issue Drawing Concern

 This story courtesy of Carissa Codel of OzarksFirst.com-

A public hearing between the Department of Natural Resources and those concerned for the Pomme de Terre River is being scheduled after multiple questions were raised about a slaughterhouse potentially polluting the river.

Pleasant Hope residents want answers about Missouri Prime Beef Packers’ proposal to dump 350,000 gallons of treated wastewater into local waterways each day.

“There’s a correct way to treat your waste,” said John Bledsoe, a member of the Missouri Stream Team. “I think that dumping it in the river is a shortcut.”

Missouri Prime Beef Packers is hoping to use a new technology called iLeaf to treat the waste before disposing of it in the Pomme de Terre River.

“When we talk about significant degradation, that was a word that was questioned a lot,” said Water Pollution Control Branch Chief Heather Peters with DNR. “All we’re saying is that it’s not insignificant.”

Insignificant degradation is discharge that wouldn’t cause any harm to water whatsoever.