U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is accepting applications for the 2024 Clean Water Awards. The awards recognize outstanding performance of wastewater treatment plants that operate at poultry and egg processing facilities. Winners will be announced at USPOULTRY’s Environmental Management Seminar, to be held Sept. 19–20 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Fla.

“Poultry and egg companies demonstrate an ongoing commitment to being good stewards of our environment and the natural resources in which we have been entrusted. These companies are doing an excellent job in operating sustainable and efficient wastewater treatment facilities, proving their dedication to being leaders in good environmental practices. Once treated, the water used in poultry and egg processing is returned to the environment in exceptional condition, continually discharging effluent below the limits set in permits. USPOULTRY is pleased to sponsor this annual award program that features these outstanding facilities,” said Mikell Fries, Claxton Poultry Farms, and USPOULTRY chair.

The annual program presents awards in two categories – full treatment and pretreatment. Full treatment facilities are those facilities that fully treat their wastewater prior to discharging the effluent into a receiving stream or a land application system. Pretreatment facilities are those facilities that discharge pretreated effluent to publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities for further treatment. Any USPOULTRY member company is eligible to submit up to three nominees in each category. Facilities that have previously won the award may not be renominated for five years. The deadline for submitting applications is June 21.

An evaluation committee, consisting of professional engineers and academia, will review the applications and select semi-finalist facilities in both categories. Award recipients will be selected after the evaluation committee completes a site visit, where each semi-finalist will have an opportunity to showcase their facility. Award recipients will receive a trophy, be profiled on the USPOULTRY website and receive assistance from USPOULTRY in publicizing the award at a local, regional and national level.

The winners of the 2023 Clean Water Awards were Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ broiler processing facility in Tyler, Texas, in the full treatment category and Tyson Foods’ par-fry facility in Russellville, Ark., in the pretreatment category. Honorable mention with distinction awards in the full treatment category were presented to Keystone Foods in Albany, Ky., and Tyson Foods in Union City, Tenn. Tyson Foods in North Little Rock, Ark., was recognized with an honorable mention with distinction award in the pretreatment category.

For an application form, visit here or go to https://www.uspoultry.org/programs/environment/. 

Source: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association