Rantoul Foods is a hog slaughterhouse located just west of Rantoul, Illinois. They slaughter almost 4,000 hogs a day and produce about 1 million gallons of sludge annually during the processing. This sludge is causing a problem for neighbors and the environment because the sludge is being stockpiled in nearby agricultural fields.
Thanks to WICD Channel 15 and The News-Gazette for running stories about the sludge dumping. Hopefully this will motivate Rantoul Foods and waste hauler John Clifford to be better neighbors.
Rantoul Foods is actually allowed to apply sludge to agricultural fields, but it should be at agronomic rates to help crops grow. Dumping is not agronomic. Land application of sludge from animal operations and sewage treatment plants is a common practice. The slaughterhouse has a permit from Illinois EPA which sets guidelines for how the sludge is to be applied. The permit also allows the sludge to be stockpiled for up to two months, but runoff and leachate must be contained.
Sludge that is dumped in a field poses several risks to water quality. During heavy storm events, such as the 2-inch rain we just had, uncontained sludge can leave a field with runoff and enter ditches and streams. This can pose a serious health risk to downstream users who are unaware of what the water contains. The sludge can also seep into the groundwater if there is not a barrier between the sludge and the topsoil. We are particularly concerned that the tiles buried in the field will become a conduit for transporting seeped sludge into ditches.
Rantoul Foods has only existed for two years and they have already received two violation notices from Illinois EPA. Their current method of sludge disposal is inappropriate and will only continue to cause problems. Rantoul Foods needs to come up with a long-term sludge storage system so that the sludge is properly contained during the growing season when crops do not need additional nutrient inputs.
We appreciate the effort Illinois EPA has put into documenting the violations committed by Rantoul Foods. The Agency is deciding on next steps, and we certainly hope those steps will permanently address this problem.
In the News: WICD coverage on June 20, 2013 News-Gazette coverage on June 23, 2013 (PDF) Rantoul Press coverage on June 25, 2013 (PDF)
