Tyson Foods cited for wastewater violation in Monett, Mo.

Tyson Foods was recently cited for a wastewater violation from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in connection with a fish kill caused by improper disposal of a feed additive.

DNR also cited the city of Monett, Mo., for failing "to operate and maintain facilities to comply with the Missouri Clean Water Law and applicable permit conditions", according to a separate violation notice from state authorities.

Tyson received a shipment of wastewater containing Alimet, which is a liquid animal feed supplement, from another company facility in Aurora, Mo. Tyson sent the wastewater to its pre-treatment facility and later discharged the water to the city of Monett's sewer system.

The state agency said the discharge caused operational problems at the city's wastewater treatment facility. A fish kill occurred along a six-mile stretch of Clear Creek when the Monett Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility discharged the water into a tributary of Clear Creek.

DNR said its investigation and sample results from Tyson’s plant in Monett and the city’s wastewater treatment facility leads to a reasonable certainty that the discharge came from Tyson to the city. The DNR added that the agency is conducting a hazardous waste investigation to determine whether additional violations occurred.

"We’re working cooperatively with city and state officials as they investigate this matter," Tyson Foods noted in a statement. "Like most people, we’re very concerned about water quality and its impact on the surrounding environment. Water is a critical natural resource and we work to protect it at all of our locations. We’re awaiting additional discussions with the state and city so we can understand how our operations potentially played a role in what happened.

"Many of our team members and their families live in the community, so when it’s affected, we’re all affected. We hope to have a conversation with Missouri Department of Natural Resources about what we can do to assist with improvements of the creek. We have a long history of mutually productive cooperation with the City of Monett and we hope that will continue as we work through this process."