Document NEBmXnYgYYNp4erx0gkej9q1y

EPA Inspection Report - Page 1 of 11 James Watkins Farm Inspection Date 07/11/2023 Region 6 - Enforcement & Compliance Assurance Division INSPECTION REPORT Inspection Date(s): Media Program: Regulatory Program(s) 07/11/2023 Water CAFO Company Name: Facility Name: Facility Physical Location: (city, state, zip code) Mailing address: (city, state, zip code) County/Parish: Facility Phone Number Facility Contact: James Watkins Farm James Watkins Farm 2801 Hwy 246 E. Vandervoort, AR 71972 P.O. Box 38 Vandervoort, AR 71972 Polk 34.368667, -94.161298 James Watkins watkinsfarm246@yahoo.com Owner FRS Number: Identification/Permit Number: Media Identifier Number: NAICS: SIC: 3601542853 ARU002190 N/A 112210 0213 Personnel participating in inspection: James Watkins Owner Lucas Bomar EPA/6ECAD-AA Juan Ibarra EPA/6ECAD-AA Monica Hancock AR Dept of Ag Richard Gray JBS (Integrator) Owner Inspector Inspector Inspector Environmental Manager EPA Lead Inspector Signature/Date JUAN Digitally signed by JUAN IBARRA IBARRA DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=Environmental Protection Agency, cn=JUAN IBARRA, 0.9.2342.19200300.100.1.1=68001003637961 Date: 2023.08.25 13:20:32 -05'00' {Inspector name} Date Supervisor Signature/Date Digitally signed by ESTEBAN ESTEBAN HERRERA HERRERA Date: 2023.08.25 16:22:46 -05'00' {Supervisor name} Date 6ENFORM-019-R8.2 (02/12/2020) 1 EPA Inspection Report - Page 2 of 11 James Watkins Farm Inspection Date 07/11/2023 Section I - INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE INSPECTION EPA Region 6 inspectors Juan Ibarra and Lucas Bomar, accompanied by Monica Hancock of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, arrived at James Watkins Farm at 0832 on July 11, 2023, for an announced inspection (due to JBS biosecurity farm sequencing requirements). We met with Mr. James Watkins/owner and Richard Gray/JBS Environmental Manager at the Opening Conference. I presented my credentials to Mr. Watkins and informed him that this was an EPA inspection to determine the facility's compliance status with the requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations stipulated within the facility's Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Regulation No. 5 AFO general permit. The scope of the inspection included a limited compliance evaluation of the facility's site operations (due to ongoing heavy rain at the time of the inspection), lagoon management, nutrient management plan, and record keeping requirements of their ADEQ permit. Observation of the land application fields was not possible due to the heavy rain. For biosecurity purposes, the inspectors toured the site in Mr. Gray's vehicle and wore the JBS required Tyvek suits and over-boots. There were no other biosecurity or disease issues of concern at the farm. FACILITY DESCRIPTION James Watkins Farm has a current ADEQ permit (4377-WR-2) for 2800 finishing swine. The pigs are brought to the farm at approximately 50 lbs and are raised to about 300 lbs over a period of about 18-20 weeks. At the time of the inspection, Mr. Watkins stated that only one of the four barns were stocked with swine, which were brought in the day before the inspection, and that one barn will be stocked per week until all are filled. Then the swine will be removed on a weekly schedule after their 18-20 week stay and growth to approximately 300 lbs. Each barn will be stocked at a rate of 600 pigs per barn. The farm's four barns are flushed multiple times per day using lagoon recycled water. The flushing frequency is dependent on the size of the pigs and the time of year. The flush water drains within each of the barns on a 1.5% slope to a concrete catch basin which then channels the wastewater to the single lagoon through an 8" drainage pipe. The farm also has 25 land application fields totaling 374 acres. Land application is made by a traveling reel gun or a tanker truck for times when an agitator is used to slurry and remove solids from the lagoon. The farm has a Certified Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) dated 3/1/2021 written by an Arkansas District Conservationist, followed by a review and signature by the NRCS and ADEQ. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture will assume the ADEQ's regulatory responsibility of permitting, inspecting and enforcement of the Regulation No. 5 AFO lagoon systems on 8/1/2023. 2 EPA Inspection Report - Page 3 of 11 James Watkins Farm Inspection Date 07/11/2023 Section II - OBSERVATIONS The farm appears well managed, clean, and organized with no apparent deficiencies noted during the inspection. The CNMP records for facility inspections and maintenance are in good order. Mr. Watkins submitted the required annual reports to ADEQ for the years of 2021 and 2022 (see Photos 4-6 showing the land application records for 2021). JBS also requires that their contract farms provide monthly reports detailing the lagoon level, which Mr. Watkins has done. However, there was no written documentation of these lagoon level readings in the CNMP, as they are not required by the ADEQ Regulation No. 5. The agronomic rate calculations have been done correctly, using 2020 soils data and recent lagoon wastewater analysis data. Additionally, the P-Index was rated as "Medium" and allowed for additional application of wastewater containing phosphorus. The farm was maintaining daily land application irrigation records which are submitted to the ADEQ in the annual report. The lagoon (see Photo 1) has a pole marker, and the level was below the 25-yr/24-hr event mark. The embankment appears well vegetated, and there was no evidence of a discharge. The available freeboard is estimated to be approximately four feet. Mortalities are managed using an incinerator and the ash is land applied. Section III - AREAS OF CONCERN None Section IV - FOLLOW UP None Section V - LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Photo Log - Six photos taken 7/11/2023 and Digital Globe aerial photograph 3 EPA Inspection Report - Page 4 of 11 James Watkins Farm Inspection Date 07-11-2023 Appendix 1 Photograph Log and Site Aerial EPA Inspection Report - Page 5 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 1 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0079.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0855 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: The farm's single wastewater lagoon which has approximately 4' of freeboard. The unit has a pole marker at the northeast corner of the unit where the long bar represents the 25-year/24-hour pump out mark. There is a wastewater pump which is connected to the riser that sends the wastewater to the risers located in the land application fields which are equipped with a traveling reel gun. The view is toward the northwest. EPA Inspection Report - Page 6 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 2 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0081.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0942 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: One of the farm's four swine barns, with the incinerator that is used for mortality management in the foreground. The view is toward the northeast. EPA Inspection Report - Page 7 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 3 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0082.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0942 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: Looking east between the barns. The grounds are well maintained and neat. Silver covers can be seen covering the flush water drain pit at the barn to the right of the photo that direct wastewater to the lagoon. EPA Inspection Report - Page 8 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 4 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0083.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0946 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: Daily land application records kept by the owner for 2021. EPA Inspection Report - Page 9 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 5 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0084.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0946 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: The 2021 Annual land application summary record for nitrogen application. EPA Inspection Report - Page 10 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 6 County: Polk State: Arkansas Photo File Name: DSCN0085.JPG Date of Photo: 07/11/2023 Time of Photo: 0947 Photographer: Juan Ibarra Description: The 2021 Annual land application summary record for phosphorus application. EPA Inspection Report - Page 11 of 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Location: James Watkins Farm City: Vandervoort Photo No. 7 County: Polk State: Arkansas James Watkins Farm - DigitalGlobe Aerial View from 3/19/2023 Four swine barns and one lagoon. An unimpacted freshwater stock tank is located to the west of the lagoon: