DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it has filed a civil suit against an Iowa meat-packaging plant for alleged water pollution violations.
In a joint filing, the department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said AgriProcessors Inc. in Postville, Iowa, violated the Clean Water Act by failing to comply with pretreatment requirements for its wastewater going into a lagoon treatment system owned by the City of Postville. The water is then discharged into the Yellow River.
The suit alleged AgriProcessors's discharges of wastewater to the city's treatment system have caused the City of Postville in turn to violate the Clean Water Act, discharging water more frequently than appropriate from its lagoon treatment system.
The United States and Iowa entered into a settlement with the City of Postville for related Clean Water Act violations in October.
