A Newton County hog farm’s permit to continue its operations is currently being delayed. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality sent a letter this week to C&H Hog Farms asking for more documentation of the facility and plans as the permit application continues to be evaluated.
C&H applied for a new permit in April of last year and has operated under an extension of its old permit. The facility located near Mount Judea has drawn concern about the potential risk its hog manure poses to the Buffalo National River. It sits on Big Creek nearly six miles from where the creek converges with the river.
Buffalo River Watershed Alliance board member Brian Thompson told the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission on Friday the documents are already in the public record. He called the request from ADEQ a delay tactic and an “affront to public trust.” C&H has 90 days to respond to the request.
The facility is the only federally-classified large hog farm in the river’s watershed which is home to several small hog farms. C&H is currently permitted to house up to 6,000 piglets and nearly 2,500 sows.
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