NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — State and federal regulators have cited a Gloucester County slaughterhouse for allowing fluids, like blood, leak into a local waterway.
Burlington Beef in Monroeville was reported for a red bloody substance that was running from the south end of the property into a nearby tributary that’s used for farming and livestock.
After hearing the complaints from locals, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency engineer Dan Asselin went to investigate.
“And it ended up being that the spray field that they use for their discharges was only supposed to be for irrigation purposes, and it wasn’t functioning per the permit requirements, so it ended up having an unauthorized discharge,” Asselin said.
The company was quick to comply with recommendations, including building a three-foot berm to stop the discharge and end the contamination.
Regulators say the company has been very cooperative throughout the investigation.
They are currently working out a long-term cleanup plan to ensure residents have access to clean water.