DEQ files lawsuit against dairy operation

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven Chester announced on Tuesday (December 15th) that the DEQ has filed a lawsuit alleging hundreds of new permit violations at the Vreba-Hoff dairies in Hudson.

The violations of the company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, issued on August 1, 2008, stem from Vreba-Hoff’s failure to meet treatment limits established in the permit. Those limits were also imposed through the June 2007 modification of a previous Court Order requiring that Vreba-Hoff treat all waste produced by its two concentrated animal feeding operations. Collectively, the two operations house approximately 5,000 animals.

“Once again we find ourselves having to ask the court to enforce the numerous agreements that Vreba-Hoff has failed to live up to, and enough is enough,” said Director Chester. “Most CAFOs in Michigan work hard to be environmentally responsible members of their communities. It is unfortunate that Vreba-Hoff refuses to adhere to the most fundamental laws that we have in Michigan to keep our precious water resources safe.”

The NPDES permit prohibits Vreba-Hoff from irrigating treated effluent unless it meets certain concentration-based limits. Despite failing to achieve those limits, Vreba-Hoff irrigated waste at multiple locations over 128 days during the summer and fall of both 2008 and 2009 in violation of their NPDES permit.

This is the fourth lawsuit the state has filed against Vreba-Hoff for their continued failure to responsibly manage the waste produced by their CAFOs and protect Michigan’s water quality.

Vreba-Hoff is involved in the project to develop the Bustorf Dairy, a 2,260 cow operation planned for property on Longnecker Road in St. Joseph County’s Leonidas Township.