This spring, a Cargill pork plant in Ottumwa, Iowa, accidently released 20,000 gallons of untreated wastewater (because of a control panel malfunction) into the Des Moines River until a backup pump began operating.
Wastewater generally doesn’t make the consumer headline news for good reasons. However, many meat and poultry processors are testing and using the latest water-treatment technologies, and eliminating chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus that may face heavier regulations soon.