DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)– The Cargill Corn Milling facility was the location of a large spill of 35 thousand gallons of corn byproduct.
On Friday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m., the Ohio EPA responded to a large spill at the Cargill Corn Milling Facility, located at 3201 Needmore Road in Dayton. The response was due to the spill size. The extent of the spill was not yet determined.
Upon arriving, officials noticed around 35,000 gallons of corn meal gluten had spilled into a tributary near the plant.
The waterway the spill occurred in flows into the Miami Valley River. Environmental contractors were called in to contain the spill.
Large straw bales and a silt fence were placed in the river to contain the gluten. These items will remain in place until Thursday.
A Cargill spokesperson had this to say in a recent statement:
“Upon discovery, the Cargill team immediately shut down the corn protein processing system, isolated the processing water stream and informed the Ohio EPA and the City of Dayton. The discharge was contained to the tributary, and the cleanup was completed safely by a reliable third-party, with Cargill and the Ohio EPA overseeing the work.”
The Ohio EPA stated that there have not been any reports of fish kill areas and that the public water system has not been impacted.
“Corn gluten meal is a natural by-product from the wet milling process of corn. It is not dangerous to humans or animals. In fact, it’s often used as a supplement in feeds for livestock, poultry and pets.” said a spokesperson for the Ohio EPA.
The Ohio EPA issued a notice of violation to the company on Friday for the unauthorized discharge of material to waters of the State of Ohio.
Read the full official statement from Cargill:
On Friday, October 27, the Cargill Dayton corn milling facility discovered a failure in its corn protein processing system, resulting in corn protein, an ingredient often used in food and feed (including fish feed), and its processing water to mix with our non-contact cooling water system, which is legally permitted to discharge into the adjacent tributary. Upon discovery, the Cargill team immediately shut down the corn protein processing system, isolated the processing water stream and informed the Ohio EPA and the City of Dayton. The discharge was contained to the tributary, and the cleanup was completed safely by a reliable third-party, with Cargill and the Ohio EPA overseeing the work. Cargill worked closely with multiple agencies to determine the impact on the river and will continue to monitor the impacted area for a week. Cargill did receive a notice of violation from the EPA.
