The federal Environmental Protection Agency has informed state agencies that environmental permits from the Vlasic Pickle plant in Millsboro cannot be modified to allow for it to be retooled into a poultry processing plant.
The EPA’s Office of NPDES Permits and Enforcement regional office sent an email to activists opposed to the poultry plant about the ruling Tuesday.
Local groups are concerned that the development of the plant -- proposed by South Korea-based Harim Allen Foods -- would contaminate water in the Millsboro area more than it already is.
Cindy Wilton, co-founder of Protect Our Indian River, faults DNREC for failing to properly test the site for previous contamination.
"We have a chicken processing plant that is less than a mile across the river from us," Wilton explained. "Vlasic Pickle right now is a brownfield site. They don’t know to what extent the contamination is because DNREC hasn’t done their due diligence and tested."
The permits held by Vlasic Pickle expired in October of this year, but DNREC has allowed them to be “administratively extended” until a decision is made whether to sell the plant to Allen Harim Foods. The EPA says it will continue to discuss future permitting for the proposed Harim plant with DNREC.
Those opposed to the construction of the plant were told about the EPA’s ruling towards the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in email last week (Friday).
Activist groups in Delaware are happy with the EPA’s ruling.
Wilton says that both the existing and proposed plants pose a health risk to those living near the proposed site.
"Our major concern is the contamination," said Wilton. "My husband and I live right across the street from it. Our health is at risk."
