Cows poke their heads through the bars on their pen to eat Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, ot a dairy that supplies milk to the Longmont Dairy Farm at 2257 S. County Road 7 in Loveland. The dairy operation is under investigation by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for improperly discharging animal wastes to a drainage ditch. State regulators said Longmont Dairy is not part of the investigation.
18 months after leaks were found, CDPHE issued a notice of violation
A dairy farm near Loveland is being investigated by public health officials who say the facility allowed runoff from manure piles to leach into the Big Thompson River without a permit.
A November 2015 inspection by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment revealed two wastewater ponds overflowing into a drainage ditch that flowed into the Big Thompson River. The inspector observed that the leakages from the farm on South County Road 7 “were likely ongoing for a significant period of time.”
A violation and cease-and-desist/cleanup order was issued in March 2017, citing discharge without permit, failure to notify the state of the runoff, failure to properly operate and maintain the ponds and failure to adequately protect groundwater.
CDPHE spokesman Mark Salley said the long gap between the violation and the notification as necessary “to conduct a thorough investigation of the facts prior to developing an accurate and comprehensive case.”
Possible penalties are currently being determined by CDPHE, with settlement negotiations to follow. The cited violations carry with them hefty fines: Up to $10,000 for each the day violations occurred.
The farm is a contract supplier to Longmont Dairy Farm. State health officials said Longmont Dairy not under investigation.
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