Unidentified material found near NF Protein

A gulley leading away from the NF Protein Plant in which all the vegetation has died.

Submitted photo

On Monday, the city of Nevada received a complaint about a discharge which seemed to be coming from the NF Protein plant at 3100 Industrial Pkwy and which was making its way into local streams.

According to City Manager J.D. Kehrman, it was originally thought the discharge was sewage, so Alliance Water Resources was sent to check it out. Eric McPeak reported that crews went to see if there was a leak coming from the city’s line.

“There was evidence of material coming from the plant building,” he said but noted it was not coming from the city’s sewer line.

In this satellite photo dated Aug. 22, 2017, it appears there is a wet spot leading from the back of the plant to the gulley where the grass was killed.

Photo by Google Maps

The plant is outside the city limits, and Kehrman said the city has no authority over air or stormwater issues. “The only thing we can do is to contact the Department of Natural Resources,” he said.

Kehrman said the city has been in touch with several divisions of the Springfield office of the DNR multiple times. “The Springfield DNR has been working with the city for some time. They are very engaged,” he said.

Brooks McNeill, an environmental specialist with the DNR, had already visited the area on Friday, Sept. 29, and after receiving the complaint from the city revisited the site on Tuesday. “I confirmed there appeared to be some material on the ground,” he said of the Tuesday visit. He did not know what the substance was but noted the investigation was still ongoing.

Photos of the gulley provided to the Daily Mail show a strip of ground completely void of any green vegetation.

When asked if the material found could be responsible for killing the grass in that strip he said, “It’s likely, it’s again inconclusive. But it’s possible the material that I observed is causing the dead grass.”

When asked about Google Maps satellite photos dated Aug. 22 showing what appears to be a large wet patch leading from the back of the plant to the gulley he said, “The city of Nevada has forwarded some Google Map information, and that’s part of our ongoing investigation.”

McNeill says the report will be available after it is finished.

In August 2016, the City of Nevada terminated sewer service to the NF Protein plant and fined the company because of violations regarding the strength of the wastewater the plant was discharging into the city sewer system.

In September 2016, the city had received numerous complaints concerning odors throughout the city. The DNR was contacted and it was determined that NF Protein was responsible for the smells. They documented an odor violation on Sept. 2 and issued a letter of warning on Sept. 28. Another odor violation was documented on Oct. 19 and the DNR issued an Abatement Order.

The office manager at NF Protein declined to comment.