Michigan sues Allegan County farm for 'unlawful' wastewater discharge
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LANSING — A lawsuit has been filed against the owner of a farm in Allegan County for illegal wastewater discharges into a tributary of Rabbit River.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a complaint in the 30th Circuit Court of Ingham County against Deborah Brenner of Hopkins on March 1. Brenner operates J&D Brenner Farms, which the AG’s Office said is “an unpermitted Allegan County concentrated animal feeding operation.”
The complaint was filed on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and announced through a press release Tuesday, March 5.
The lawsuit alleges unlawful discharges of wastewater to surface waters; unlawful injurious discharges of wastewater to groundwater; failure to obtain required permits to discharge; and public nuisance.
The state is seeking compliance — that the farm obtains and complies with required permits and pays any civil fines, enforcement costs or “reasonable attorney fees.”
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The state claims the lawsuit comes after “years of enforcement efforts” since 2016. Discharges have flowed into a ditch leading to Rabbit River, which flows into the Kalamazoo River near New Richmond and, ultimately, into Lake Michigan.
“Protecting our state’s waterways and watersheds is a priority for my department,” Nessel wrote.
The full complaint can be viewed online at bit.ly/4c0BxUt.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Michigan sues Allegan County farm for 'unlawful' wastewater discharge
