Sioux Falls Smithfield Foods Fined For Release To Big Sioux River

Smithfield Foods' in northern Sioux Falls is being fined over $45,000 for polluted wastewater they discharged into the Big Sioux River.

KSFY TV is reporting that the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources has fined Smithfield Foods $46,260 for surface water discharge permit violations.

In a period of time between February 1 and July 31, 2019, Smithfield violated it's permit limits for total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia, fecal coliform, and toxicity test.

DENR Secretary Hunter Roberts stated: “Smithfield has addressed these violations. However, this penalty reinforces the need for permit compliance. DENR expects operators to comply with their permits and will continue to work closely with Smithfield to prevent future violations.”

DENR has also required Smithfield to collect daily water quality samples in the Big Sioux River to document any potential impacts. The results indicated the discharge violations did not lead to exceedances of the South Dakota Surface Water Quality Standards in the river.

In 2018 Smithfield was fined around $53,000 for violating water ammonia levels.