February 15, 2019
Montpelier, Vt. – The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that Franklin Foods, Inc., a food manufacturing plant producing cultured cream cheese and cream cheese-based products, was fined $24,750 for failing to adequately manage facility wastewater before discharging it to the Town of Enosburg Falls wastewater treatment facility.
Franklin Foods, Inc. holds a permit to operate a wastewater pretreatment facility that treats its wastewater before sending it to the Enosburg Falls wastewater facility. Pretreatment is an important first step to treating high-strength wastewater, which is common in the food and beverage production industry and has the potential to adversely impact the proper operation of a wastewater treatment facility.
Franklin Foods is required to test the pre-treated process wastewater regularly to make sure the pollutant levels are below the thresholds. The company is also required to report their results monthly. A 2017 inspection by DEC revealed deficiencies in reporting and testing back to 2015, as well as multiple instances of process wastewater exceeding established limits.
Testing and reporting are critical because treatment plants need to understand the composition of incoming wastewater to ensure the system has the capacity to properly treat it. An overwhelmed system – either by capacity or by composition of the incoming wastewater – is at risk to release undertreated or improperly treated wastewater. Following the inspection, DEC determined that the facility’s practices were violating its permit conditions and formally notified the company of its violations as well as the steps necessary to comply with its permit.
“Releases of undertreated wastewater to the environment can have lasting and harmful impacts on water quality, natural resources and public health,” says Emily Boedecker, DEC Commissioner. “These releases are often preventable and we provide technical assistance to businesses in the food and beverage sector to help them better manage wastewater.”
Franklin Foods took some steps toward compliance following the 2017 notification, but the violations persisted. In the summer of 2018, DEC again found the facility out of compliance and issued a second notification. As the result of negotiations, Franklin Foods agreed to submit and follow a comprehensive corrective action plan and pay a $24,750 fine for the multi-year violations. The plan will help the company to ensure compliance with its permit. DEC approved the corrective action plan in December 2018, and the Environmental Division of the Vermont Superior Court approved the agreement in an order dated February 14, 2019.
For more information about wastewater permits, or for environmental assistance and support for Vermont’s food and beverage manufacturers, breweries, and schools, visit https://dec.vermont.gov/.