The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Water, hereby provides public notice of permit applications which have been received from Allen Harim Foods, LLC, and Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc., and of a public hearing (Docket # 2019-P-W-0016) to be held by DNREC regarding the same.

Public Hearing

A public hearing will be held on the below applications on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, beginning at 6:00 PM at Mariner Middle School, located at 16391 Harbeson Road, Milton, DE 19968.  For additional information on this public hearing, visit de.gov/dnrechearings.

On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System

Allen Harim Foods, LLC has applied for a State of Delaware operations permit for an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system to treat up to 4.0 MGD of poultry processing wastewater at the Allen Harim Harbeson Processing Facility. The majority of the poultry processing water is generated onsite at the Harbeson facility with a minor amount discharged to the treatment system from the Pinnacle Processing facility and Dagsboro Hatchery facility. The wastewater treatment system consists of primary screening, grit removal, dissolved air flotation (DAF) device, two anoxic biological nutrient removal (BNR) basins, two (complete mixed activated sludge) aeration cells, flocculation tank, two clarifiers, and a chlorination/de-chlorination contact tank. The treatment train also includes two aerobic digesters for sludge treatment. The facility is capable of diverting offspec wastewater to onsite lagoons followed by recirculating and retreating the wastewater. Treated wastewater effluent will be pumped via force main to the Artesian Northern Sussex Regional Water Reclamation Facility for storage in a synthetically lined lagoon and disposal via spray irrigation.

Spray Irrigation Permit

Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc. has applied for a State of Delaware spray irrigation operations permit to receive treated wastewater effluent from the Allen Harim Harbeson Wastewater Treatment Plant for storage in a synthetically lined lagoon and disposal via spray irrigation at the Artesian Northern Sussex Regional Water Reclamation Facility (ANSRWRF). The design average daily flow is 1.5 MGD with a peak flow of 2.0 MGD. The facility will utilize reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of privately owned agricultural land under a lease held in perpetuity by Artesian as the wastewater utility provider. The proposed irrigation sites (including current and future phases) total approximately 1,714 acres of land which includes both wooded and agricultural area. These sites have been permanently placed in an Agricultural Preservation Easement by the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation. The effluent will receive a high level of treatment to meet the “Unlimited Public Access” requirement at the Allen Harim Wastewater Treatment Plant and Nitrogen polishing will be accomplished through crop uptake to meet Regulatory requirements. ANSRWRF is also capable of disinfecting the stored wastewater if additional treatment is required prior to spray irrigation.

For additional information on the above matters, and to review these applications and draft permits online, visit de.gov/dnrechearings  or contact John Rebar, Jr., Division of Water, Groundwater Discharges Section, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE, 19901; by phone at 302-739-9948; or, by email, at John.Rebar@delaware.gov.

Persons wishing to comment on the above applications and draft permits may do so either orally or in written form at the public hearing on August 21, 2019. In lieu of attending the public hearing, written comment may be submitted to the Hearing Officer via the online comment form at dnrec.delaware.gov/public-hearings/comment-form/ or via USPS to the following address:

Lisa A. Vest, Hearing Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901