Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has reached a settlement with Holloo Farms, a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Calhoun County, to resolve allegations that the company violated environmental regulations and improperly discharged animal waste into state waters.
As part of the settlement, Holloo Farms will pay $32,907 in civil fines and partial enforcement costs and will be required to perform groundwater monitoring at its dairy CAFO.
Since 2004, Holloo Farms has received more than a dozen compliance communications from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), including violation notices.
In 2019, Holloo Farms discharged approximately 72,000 gallons of raw manure to Huckleberry Drain as a result of improper land application of CAFO waste during the winter. Huckleberry Drain discharges into Wilder Creek, the Kalamazoo River, and ultimately into Lake Michigan.
Attorney General Nessel filed a lawsuit against Holloo Farms in March 2022 on behalf of EGLE following this longstanding history of alleged noncompliance with permit requirements.
As the court case wound its way up to the Court of Appeals and back down to circuit court, and before a formal settlement was reached, Holloo Farms voluntarily made significant efforts to remedy past and ongoing violations by investing in upgrades to its production area to safeguard nearby surface water, justifying a relatively low civil penalty for the serious violations alleged in the complaint.
Source: Michigan Department of Attorney General
Topics
Agribusiness
Michigan
Pollution
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