Settlement reached in massive Tyson fish kill
January 21, 2015
Charlea Mills
After a massive fish kill in May of last year, Tyson Foods in Monett was charged by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, and this week, Koster reached an agreement with Tyson for damages. The damages in total that Tyson is responsible for paying for totals $539,898.
Tyson will pay the state of Missouri upwards of $163,000 for natural resource damages, as well as $110,000 in civil penalties, reimbursements to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources $11,000, and $36,000 to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Also part of the settlement is the contingency that Tyson will replace a bridge at Farm Road 1050 in Lawrence County over Clear Creek that has prevented fish from moving in the stream.
Koster sued Tyson in June after a large investigation linked the company to the killing of at least 100,000 fish in Clear Creek. Investigations linked high ammonia levels that killed the fish to Tyson in Monett discharging wastewater containing an animal feed supplement called Alimet from the Aurora facility into the Monett sewer system. Monett’s wastewater treatment facility was not able to process the contaminants.
Tyson released a statement saying, “We deeply regret the incident in Clear Creek, near Monett, Missouri, his past May. We’ve worked diligently and cooperatively with state and other authorities to make things right, including entering into a settlement agreement with the state. Tyson Foods’ core values include serving as stewards of the environment - in Missouri and every community where we operate - and we take that obligation seriously.”
Koster noted, “The agreement gives the state of Missouri the authority to inspect the Monett and Aurora facilities at any time to check for compliance with the law and monitor the progress of all activities required under the agreement.”
Koster also said that Tyson has taken steps to prevent similar incidents, including:
• New requirements and practices to prevent, monitor and respond to animal-feed releases at its corporate feed mills,
• Additional training on hazardous waste and water discharge for personnel at the Monett and Aurora facilities,
• A new company-wide environmental operating procedure that focuses on storage practices for feed mill chemicals,
• A summit of all managers at all of its operations in Missouri to conduct a comprehensive review or environmental issues at those plants.
Koster said that fish are returning to Clear Creek after the incident.
Charlea Mills
After a massive fish kill in May of last year, Tyson Foods in Monett was charged by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, and this week, Koster reached an agreement with Tyson for damages. The damages in total that Tyson is responsible for paying for totals $539,898.
Tyson will pay the state of Missouri upwards of $163,000 for natural resource damages, as well as $110,000 in civil penalties, reimbursements to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources $11,000, and $36,000 to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Also part of the settlement is the contingency that Tyson will replace a bridge at Farm Road 1050 in Lawrence County over Clear Creek that has prevented fish from moving in the stream.
Koster sued Tyson in June after a large investigation linked the company to the killing of at least 100,000 fish in Clear Creek. Investigations linked high ammonia levels that killed the fish to Tyson in Monett discharging wastewater containing an animal feed supplement called Alimet from the Aurora facility into the Monett sewer system. Monett’s wastewater treatment facility was not able to process the contaminants.
Tyson released a statement saying, “We deeply regret the incident in Clear Creek, near Monett, Missouri, his past May. We’ve worked diligently and cooperatively with state and other authorities to make things right, including entering into a settlement agreement with the state. Tyson Foods’ core values include serving as stewards of the environment - in Missouri and every community where we operate - and we take that obligation seriously.”
Koster noted, “The agreement gives the state of Missouri the authority to inspect the Monett and Aurora facilities at any time to check for compliance with the law and monitor the progress of all activities required under the agreement.”
Koster also said that Tyson has taken steps to prevent similar incidents, including:
• New requirements and practices to prevent, monitor and respond to animal-feed releases at its corporate feed mills,
• Additional training on hazardous waste and water discharge for personnel at the Monett and Aurora facilities,
• A new company-wide environmental operating procedure that focuses on storage practices for feed mill chemicals,
• A summit of all managers at all of its operations in Missouri to conduct a comprehensive review or environmental issues at those plants.
Koster said that fish are returning to Clear Creek after the incident.
