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US (PA): DEP to decide on alleged illegal discharge of industrial waste at BrightFarms

The Lower Makefield supervisors are waiting for the state Department of Environmental Protection to decide if a greenhouse illegally discharged industrial waste before they determine whether the BrightFarms operation violated its 10-year rental agreement with the township.

The DEP notified BrightFarms in November that it is investigating whether the discharge at the greenhouse, located off Stony Hill Road on the township-owned Patterson Farm, caused ground erosion and might have flowed into a sewer system that drains into commonwealth waters.

BrightFarms representatives told the supervisors last week that the one-time release of the nutrient-filled water was captured in a retention basin and did not enter public waterways. Company President Paul Lightfoot also said the "small amount" of water that was released did not contain any contaminants and was not industrial waste, but rather "residual" waste.

The BrightFarms representatives also explained what they planned to do to eliminate any future concerns. Those steps include storing all bins of plant waste inside the greenhouse structure and draining all liquid from the bins into the sanitary sewer system. Plus, any discharge of pond water will be flushed down the system's interior drains and no water will be swept to the greenhouse's exterior pavement.

BrightFarms sent a letter detailing the remedies to the DEP last week and lab results from the last six months of testing of its pond water, Lightfoot said.

DEP staff are reviewing the necessary materials before their make any final decisions in the case, agency spokesman Virginia Cain said Monday.

Read more at the Bucks County Courier Times
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