STATE OF INDIANA

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BEFORE THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT

 

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SS:

OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

COUNTY OF MARION

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COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT

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OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT,

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Complainant,

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v.

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CASE NO. 2004-13819-S

 

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ARTHUR GILT FARMS, L. L.C.,

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Respondent.

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AGREED ORDER

 

The Complainant and the Respondent desire to settle and compromise this action without hearing or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and consent to the entry of the following Findings of Fact and Order.

 

I.  FINDINGS OF FACT

 

1.                  Complainant is the Commissioner (“Complainant”) of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, a department of the State of Indiana created by IC 13-13-1-1.

 

2.                  Respondent is Arthur Gilt Farms, L.L.C. (“Respondent”), which owns/operates the confined feeding operation (CFO), CFO approval No. AW-2248, located at 4422 S. C. R. 300 W., in Greenfield, Hancock County, Indiana (“Site”).

 

3.                  The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (“IDEM”) has jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter of this action.

 

4.                  Pursuant to IC 13-30-3-3, on June 16, 2004, IDEM issued a Notice of Violation via Certified Mail to:

William Arthur
Registered Agent
Arthur Gilt Farms, L.L.C.
1162 E. C.R. 300 S.
Greenfield, IN 46140

 

5.                  Inspections, on October 6 and 30, 2003, were conducted at the Site by representatives of IDEM’s Office of Land Quality (OLQ).  The following violations were in existence or observed at the time of these inspections:

 

A.                 Pursuant to 327 IAC 2-6.1-7, any person who operates, controls or maintains any mode of transportation or facility from which a spill occurs shall, upon discovery of a reportable spill to the soil or surface waters of the state, contain the spill, if possible, to prevent additional spilled material from entering the waters of the state; undertake or cause others to undertake activities needed to accomplish a spill response; and as soon as possible, but within two hours of discovery, communicate a spill report to the Department of Environmental Management, Office of Environmental Response.

A reportable spill of animal manure from the Site into Ashcraft ditch and Thompson ditch, waters of the state, occurred on or about
October 6, 2003 and was not properly contained and reported by the Respondent, in violation of 327 IAC 2-6.1-7.

 

B.                 Pursuant to 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1), all waters at all times and at all places, including the mixing zone, shall meet the minimum conditions of being free from substances, materials, floating debris, oil, or scum attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural, and other land use practices, or other discharges that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable deposits, that are in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious, that produce color, visible oil sheen, odor, or other conditions in such degree as to create a nuisance, which are in amounts sufficient to be acutely toxic to, or to otherwise severely injure or kill aquatic life, other animals, plants, or humans, and which are in concentrations or combinations that will cause or contribute to the growth of aquatic plants or algae to such a degree as to create a nuisance.

The Respondent caused and/or allowed the discharge of animal manure from the Site on or about October 6, 2003, into Ashcraft ditch and Thompson ditch, waters of the state, which settled to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable deposits, that was in an amount sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious, that produced color, visible oil sheen, odor, or other conditions in such degree to create a nuisance, which was in amounts sufficient to be acutely toxic to, or otherwise severely injure or kill aquatic life, other animals, plants or humans, in violation of 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1).

 

C.                Pursuant to 327 IAC 5-2-2, any discharge of pollutants into waters of the state as a point source discharge, except for exclusions made in 327 IAC 5-2-4, is prohibited unless in conformity with a valid NPDES Permit obtained prior to the discharge.

The Respondent caused and/or allowed the discharge of animal manure, a pollutant, from the Site on or about
October 6, 2003, into Ashcraft ditch and Thompson ditch, waters of the state, without a valid NPDES permit and without meeting any of the exclusions in 327 IAC 5-2-4, in violation of 327 IAC 5-2-2.

 

D.                Pursuant to IC 13-18-4-5, it is unlawful for any person to throw, run, drain, or otherwise dispose into any of the streams or waters of this state, or to cause, permit, or suffer to be thrown, run, drained, allowed to seep, or otherwise disposed into any waters, any organic or inorganic matter that causes or contributes to a polluted condition of any waters, as determined by a rule of the board adopted under IC 13-18-4-1 and IC 13-18-4-3.

The Respondent caused and/or allowed the discharge of animal manure, an organic matter, from the Site on or about October 6, 2003, into Ashcraft ditch and Thompson ditch, waters of the state, in violation of 327 IAC 2-6.1-7, 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1) and/or 327 IAC 5-2-2, and thus violated IC 13-18-4-5.

 

E.                 Pursuant to IC 13-30-2-1(1), no person may discharge, emit, cause, allow, or threaten to discharge, emit, cause, or allow any contaminant or waste, including any noxious odor, either alone or in combination with contaminants from other sources, into the environment or into any publicly owned treatment works in any form which causes or would cause pollution which violates or which would violate rules, standards, or discharge or emission requirements adopted by the appropriate board under the environmental management laws.

The Respondent caused and/or allowed the discharge of animal manure, a contaminant or waste, into the environment from the Site on or about October 6, 2003, in violation of 327 IAC 2-6.1-7, 327 IAC 2-1-6(a)(1) and/or 327 IAC 5-2-2, and thus violated IC 13-30-2-1(1).

 

F.                 Pursuant to 327 IAC 16-9-5(b) the operating record must contain         all applicable records from the following: 327 IAC 16-9-1(e) regarding completed self-monitoring records for three (3) years; 327 IAC 16-10-1, regarding minimum acreage records; 327 IAC 16-10-2(c), regarding land application records for five years; 327 IAC 16-10-5(c), regarding marketing and distribution records for three years; and documentation of any spill response implemented in accordance with 327 IAC 16-9-4(a)(3) by confined feeding operation personnel within the past five years.

The operating record of the Respondent, on or about
October 6, 2003, did not contain all applicable records from 327 IAC 16-10-2(c), regarding land application records for five years.

 

6.                  An inspection, on December 5, 2003, was conducted at the site by a representative of IDEM’s OLQ.  The inspection confirmed that the violations cited in the NOV issued on June 16, 2004 have been corrected.

 

7.                  In recognition of the settlement reached, Respondent waives any right to         administrative and judicial review of this Agreed Order.

 

II.  ORDER

 

1.                  This Agreed Order shall be effective ("Effective Date") when it is approved by the Complainant or his delegate, and has been received by the Respondent.  This Agreed Order shall have no force or effect until the Effective Date.

 

2.                  Respondent is assessed a civil penalty of Seven Thousand Six Hundred Eighty Seven ($7,687.00) Dollars.  Said penalty amount shall be due and payable to the Environmental Management Special Fund within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of this Agreed Order.

 

3.                  Civil penalties are payable by check to the Environmental Management Special Fund.  Checks shall include the Case Number of this action and shall be mailed to:

Cashier
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
100 N. Senate Avenue
P. O. Box 7060

Indianapolis, IN 46207-7060

 

4.                  In the event that the civil penalty required by Order paragraph No. 2 is not paid within thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of this Agreed Order, Respondent shall pay interest on the unpaid balance at the rate established by IC 24-4.6-1-101. The interest shall continue to accrue until the civil penalty is paid in full.

 

5.                  This Agreed Order shall apply to and be binding upon the Respondent, its successors and assigns. The Respondent's signatories to this Agreed Order certify that they are fully authorized to execute this document and legally bind the parties they represent.  No change in ownership, corporate, or partnership status of the Respondent shall in any way alter its status or responsibilities under this Agreed Order.

 

6.                  In the event that any terms of the Agreed Order are found to be invalid, the remaining terms shall remain in full force and effect and shall be construed and enforced as if the Agreed Order did not contain the invalid terms.

 

7.                  The Respondent shall provide a copy of this Agreed Order, if in force, to any subsequent owners or successors before ownership rights are transferred.   Respondent shall ensure that all contractors, firms and other persons performing work under this Agreed Order comply with the terms of this Agreed Order.

 

8.                  This Agreed Order shall remain in effect until the Respondent has complied with all terms and conditions of this Agreed Order.

 

TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATION:

 

RESPONDENT:

Department of Environmental Management

 

Arthur Gilt Farms, L.L.C.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

By:

 

 

Paul Higginbotham

 

Printed:

 

 

Chief, Solid Waste/UST Section

 

Title:

 

 

Office of Enforcement

 

 

 

Date:

 

 

Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

COUNSEL FOR COMPLAINANT:

 

COUNSEL FOR RESPONDENT:

Department of Environmental Management

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

By:

 

 

Office of Legal Counsel

 

 

 

Date:

 

 

Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL

MANAGEMENT THIS

 

DAY OF

 

, 200

 

.

 

 

For The Commissioner:

 

 

 

Signed on March 2, 2005

 

Linda Runkle

 

Assistant Commissioner