Since 2013, most mountain and plains states have seen reductions in pollutants released into the air, water, and soil at rates more than twice the national average.
However, South Dakota saw a 16% increase in toxic releases.
That's according to 2022 data recently released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Toxic Release Inventory.
The trend is largely due to a temporary spike in nitrate emissions from the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, which discharges treated wastewater into the Big Sioux River. Smithfield is owned by China-based WH Group, with its U.S. operations headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia.
Pollutant loads at the Sioux Falls plant increased from 2020 to 2023 as the company worked to complete updates to its on-site treatment plant, with the project completed in mid-2023. The good news is that the next inventory release should show improvements that reflect that change at pork processing facilities, according to East Dakota Water Development District Manager Jay Gilbertson.
“Once we get the data that includes the second half of 2023, that number should plummet,” Gilbertson said.
Tighter nitrate release limits after Smithfield wastewater refurbishment were a condition of the plant's recently renewed surface water discharge permit. The permit is issued through the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and is administered within South Dakota's borders by the state's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
There were no restrictions on nitrate emissions until the plant's new permit was issued.
“These upgrades will improve nitrate treatment and are expected to reduce nitrate emissions in the future,” said Dana Munyon, a public affairs specialist for the department.
Excess nitrates in rivers, lakes, and streams can have a negative impact on aquatic life, promoting algae growth and leading to fish kills.High levels of nitrates in drinking water May affect blood oxygen levelswhich can cause methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome).
EPA data: Snapshot of industrial pollutants
Of all South Dakota companies required to submit pollutant data through the Toxic Release Inventory, Smithfield is the largest producer and emitter of toxic substances.
Other major sources include the nearby Wharf Mine and Aurora-based Novita, a facility that uses byproducts from the nearby Valero ethanol plant to make animal feed and vegetable oil.
However, this inventory is not a comprehensive database of emitted pollutants.
Track production-related chemical waste from specific industrial activities in each state and U.S. territory. Companies must report releases of chemicals if they are part of a covered industry that releases them. in stock list Employing 10 or more employees who may pose a risk to human health.
That leaves some sources of contamination unexplained, including municipal wastewater treatment plants like the one in Sioux Falls. The plant also releases more total wastewater and nitrates into the Big Sioux River than Smithfield, under state permit conditions.
East Dakota State's Gilbertson said, “In some ways, this is unfair because Smithfield is the reporter with the highest reporting load on a non-exhaustive list of organizations.'' “I will do that,” he said.
Additionally, this inventory does not set a benchmark for the amount of chemicals that can be safely released. Enforcement of these levels and discharge limits are tied to separate programs under the EPA umbrella, such as the Surface Water Discharge Permit Program.
Started in 1986, this inventory serves simply as a public data source. It compiles a list of more than 800 chemicals and requires covered industries to publish their emissions annually. Waste can be reported as treated, recycled, recovered for energy, or disposed of into air, water, or soil.
“By making information about industrial management of hazardous chemicals publicly available, TRI creates strong incentives for companies to improve their environmental performance,” EPA's Honor Morgan wrote in an email to South Dakota Searchlight. Ta.
South Dakota is not a major pollutant emitter on a national level, ranking 53rd out of 56 states and territories in total chemical emissions. There are 108 facilities in South Dakota that are required to report inventory, compared to 21,752 facilities nationwide.
80% of surface water tested in South Dakota does not meet state standards
However, unlike South Dakota's EPA reporting region, its trend line is rising rather than falling.
According to the 2022 dataset, the national decline in pollutant emissions into the environment was 21%. In EPA Region 8, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Utah, the reduction was 47%.
South Dakota is an outlier among this group with a 16% increase in releases.
But Gilbertson wasn't surprised to hear that. The state has a long history of taking a “wait and see” approach to pollution control.
“We like to wait until things get really bad and then do something about it,” Gilbertson said. “Because when you start trying to take the lead, a lot of people start screaming and screaming because they think their cows are going to bleed.”
However, there is at least one bright spot on South Dakota's inventory trend line. In 2013, the facility reported that it recycled 1.19 million pounds of materials. In 2022, this figure increased by 135% to his £2.8 million.
The total amount of chemicals released decreased across Region 8 from 2013 to 2022, while the level of recycled chemicals decreased by 75%. However, this figure is exceeded by a 545% increase in the amount of chemicals that are recycled as fuel rather than emitted.
In South Dakota, the amount of waste collected and recycled in 2022 was slightly lower than in 2013.
smithfield upgrade
Smithfield's status as South Dakota's biggest polluter in a limited data set may remain the same for years to come, but overall emissions should be much lower.
Pound for pound, Smithfield, based in Sioux Falls, emitted four times as much waste as the next closest source, the Wharf Resources gold mine in South Dakota. Pork processing facilities released a total of 4.9 million pounds of chemicals in 2022, almost all of which were nitrates. All but about 160,000 pounds of this was released into the Big Sioux River.
The plant's $45 million “denitrification” renovation was completed last summer and has begun to impact emissions levels. The new process reduces nitrates in the wastewater, Smithfield spokesperson Ray Atkinson told South Dakota Searchlight in an email, “and has a much lower impact on aquatic life.”
“The new denitrification process has reduced the overall nitrogen load to the Big Sioux River in Smithfield by more than two-thirds,” Atkinson said.
Nitrate is a combination of nitrogen and oxygen.
Specifically, Atkinson said the new treatment process will allow the company to reduce nitrate emissions to half of the permit limit, whose emissions are currently regulated by Smithfield's state-issued EPA emissions permit. Ta.
Atkinson said the plant has reduced total suspended solids in its wastewater by 84% and reduced ammonia emissions by 60% compared to April 2023.
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