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V'c oroes underground w'th brine g � Company has stopped dumping waste into Mokelumne River By LORRAINE MORGAN Discharged in unlined ponds, the salty water Victor's Patrick said the well is in a testing News-Sentinel staff writer was killing lawns and rusting out water heat- phase. Victor Fine Foods is now using its deep injec- ers in neighbors'houses. "Yes, Victor can inject into the well without tion well to dispose of waste water and is no Formerly known as Goehring Meat Inc., the our permission," said Steve Ihnen, a longer putting it in the Mokelumne River and local owners sold the plant to a Canadian firm, hydrogeologist for the Environmental Protec- unlined ponds. which renamed the plant and took over respon- tion Agency. Ihnen said there is no federal law Pat Patrick, Victor's director of marketing sibility for cleaning up the discharge system. preventing a company from using a class V said Monday the company has closed down the Until the 3,000-foot well could be drilled,Victor well. unlined ponds. In addition, the plant stopped pumped water from the polluted layer of A class V well is one with a bottom above or disposing of its waste water and polluted shallow ground water under the plant and in underground drinking water, according to ground water in the Mokelumne River on July discharged it into the Mokelumne. Shannon FitzGerald, an environmental scien- 1, according to Richard McHenry, a control Now that the deep injection well is being us- tist for the EPA's underground injection control engineer for the Regional Water Quality Con- ed, the unlined ponds are no longer necessary. section. trol Board. But McHenry said the company still uses a lin- Victor had previously sought an even less The waste water is non-hazardous, highly ed holding pond when discharge from the plant stringent Class I permit — for wells below salty brine used to make ham, bacon and other exceeds the 200 gallons per minute capacity of drinking water — but was surprised by tests cured meat products. Once treated, it can meet the deep injection well. that showed water at 3,000 feet to meet federal Idrinking water standards. Nevertheless, the Although permits for the deep injection well drinking water standards. Regional Water Quality Control Board ruled in are still pending, the law allows the well to be A Class V permit will require Victor to fre- 1986 the plant's brine was a source of pollution. used. Turn to VICTOR,Page 8 Victor (Continued from Page 1) EPA's approval. system" — several tanks above the ed certain wells, to safeguard those quently test the injected waters Before the waste waters are in- Found where the waste waters are residents from having their drink- and submit results to the EPA, the jected into the deep well, they go further treated. During that pro- ing water sources contaminated. City of Lodi and San Joaquin through several processes, said cess, the waste waters are also Some of the new wells have failed County. Dave Frohnen, an associate mixed with extracted, polluted in the past, but to McHenry's Victor was advised by the EPA ground waters before being in- knowledge, Victor had them engineer for Victor's consultant, �ected into the deep well. replaced. Patrick said the company and RWQCB it could use its well Nolte and Associates. while the Class V permit was pen- Frohnen said by extracting the has spent more than $100,000 ding, but didn't immediately jump First, the waste waters go polluted ground water, Victor is drilling these wells. through preliminary treatment in cleaning up the past contamina at the chance. The proposed Class V permit is 'The EPA and Regional Water the plant. After that, they're fur tion. currently open for public comment Quality Control Board told us to go they treated in the pond lined with The deep well injection system until Aug. 7, after which the EPA , " several layers of plastic, Frohnen and cleanup of the aquifers is ahead and inject, said Patrick. will be free to approve it. "But we told them we would abso- said. This process removes any costing the company millions of "But not d it without a d abs - biological activity. Frohnen said dollars, Patrick said. He said Vic- Richard Prima, Lodi's assistant lutelauthorization from their files. We the pond is built like a hazardous for will continue spending more city engineer, said the city has no wanted to take the utmost caution waste landfill. moneyto ensure that future waste problems with Victor's proposed with doing the right thing." Victor The next step of the treatment waters will not affect drinking permit. He said the new permit is didn't begin the process until its process involves sending the waste water sources. much better since it has more str- own attorneys reaffirmed the waters to a "package sewage McHenry said Victor has replac- ingent requirements.