Locals Oppose New Permit for Valley Proteins. By Natalie Jones. Dorchester Star, Nov 19

LINKWOOD — A public hearing on re-issuing a permit to allow Valley Proteins to discharge wastewater into local waterways received strong opposition Tuesday night, with many local residents voicing concerns about water quality, strong odors, discharge volume and compliance with environmental standards.

Officials from the Maryland Department of the Environment hosted the hearing in Linkwood on Nov. 16 as a step of the state’s wastewater permitting process, allowing the public to comment prior to formal issuance of a permit.

Valley Proteins is an industrial poultry rendering facility on Linkwood Road, just off U.S. Route 50 in Dorchester County. The plant receives poultry processing waste and processes it again into various components such as pet food. According to MDE, the facility processes approximately 20 million pounds of raw material per week.

The company recently submitted an application to renew the permit to discharge an average of 150,000 gallons of process wastewater and stormwater daily into Higgins Millpond and the Transquaking River, according to a document from MDE. Valley Proteins also requested expansion of their process wastewater flow up to a potential average of 575,000 gallons daily — nearly four times the currently allowed discharge volume. READ MORE....