Rocky Beem 2013 Smithfield Environmental Training Conference

Meatpacking Water Uses: Cleaning (sanitation) Process Uses (product-related) Sanitary (restrooms) Cooling Towers and Boiler Blow-Down System Leaks Quantities Used Up to several million gallons per day Daily fluctuations with cleaning

Organic Materials Soluble and solids Meat processing Sanitary (restrooms) Ingredients (honey) Holding pen waste Chemical Materials Treatment chemicals (cooling towers / boilers) Sanitation chemicals Product ingredients Inorganic solids (dirt)

Oxygen Depletions Organic material (BOD) Ammonia (and other nutrients) Grease Toxicity Sanitation chemicals Ammonia Chlorine Silting and Sedimentation Inorganic solids Aesthetic Concerns Floating Grease Odors Water Returns to the Environment !

Stormwater Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW) Sanitary On-Site Wastewater Treatment Process Drains Local Creek Pre-Treatment Direct Discharge Contaminated Water Generated at Plant Process Drains

Stormwater Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW) Sanitary On-Site Wastewater Treatment Process Drains Local Creek Pre-Treatment Direct Discharge Contaminated Water Generated at Plant Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan City Ordinance City-Issued Discharge Permit State-Issued Discharge Permit (NPDES) State-Issued Discharge Permit (NPDES)

Further Processing Plants Grease Traps Fine-Mesh Rotary Screens Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) Harvest Facilities Secondary biological treatment Anaerobic lagoons Activated sludge Remove soluble BOD

Limits on Discharge Quality Organic Load (BOD) Suspended Solids (TSS) Oil and Grease (FOG / HEM) Ammonia / Total Nitrogen pH Total and Average Flow General Prohibitions Can harm the POTW Create a hazard

Sampling and Analysis Reporting Monthly / Quarterly DMR Exceeding Limits Conditions that could upset POTW Significant changes (e.g. flow) Operation and Maintenance Per generally accepted standards Permit Renewal (90 days) Mandatory Operator Training Limited to Maryland Smithfield Requirements

Warning Letter Discretion of permitting agency Notice of Violation (NOV) Exceed permit limit Late reporting Missed sampling event Criminal Charges Neglect Falsifying data

Smithfield Training Program Web-Based (on-line) training 21 courses available Required within 6 months of employment Take courses applicable to job (processes) Tests included

By Media Air – 1 PCBs – 1 Wastewater – 27 Wastewater NOVs 1/3 of facilities pH, Chlorides, oil & grease, BOD, TSS Significant Improvements

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