DOVER, Del.- A conciliation order by consent was signed by DNREC and Allen Harim, LLC in settlements dealing with past violations by two separate Allen Harim locations.

On October 31, 2018, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control of Delaware penalized the Allen Harim hatchery facility in Dagsboro and poultry processing facility in Harbeson due to numerous past violations in both facilities. DNREC is assessing a penalty of $300,000 to Allen Harim. According to the order, Allen Harim must also end all spray irrigation activities at the Dagsboro location. They also must connect to the Sussex County sanitary sewer system to address future wastewater needs. The Harbeson location has already updated much of the facility to address the wastewater issues.

From July through November 2016, the Harbeson location had numerous violations of their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, also known as NPDES, wastewater permit. Ammonia, phosphorus, total suspended solids, and bacteria were all found. DNREC issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty Assessment and Secretary's Order that addressed all violations of the poultry processing facility. Allen Harim upgraded the Harbeson facility allowing the company to operate in compliance with their permit.

Violations from the Dagsboro location were addressed to Allen Harim when DNREC met with them after the issuance of the order. The hatchery facility has a permit that allows spray irrigation of screened hatchery process wastewater but according to Allen Harim's 2016 and 2017 annual reports to DNREC, the company exceeded those nitrogen-loading limits. Also revealed in the reports was two on-site groundwater monitoring wells that impacted groundwater from the spray irrigation operation. Allen Harim has agreed to terminate all spray irrigation operations at their Dagsboro facility.