The Sanderson Farms processing plant near Bryan is the second-worst water polluter in the state, according to a report released this week by an environmental group.
Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the nonprofit Environment Texas said that the chicken plant released about
1.2 million pounds of nitrate compounds into Cottonwood Branch creek in 2007. That number is second only to another chicken plant, Pilgrim's Pride, which released about 1.5 million pounds of nitrate compounds from its Mount Pleasant facility.
The effect the discharge has on the body of water, which runs through Bryan, is not entirely clear. Extremely excessive levels of nitrates in drinking water may cause serious illness or death, but that risk doesn't appear to be apparent in Bryan because Cottonwood Branch doesn't feed any water supply.
Drinking water is tested for the chemicals, and providers are required by law to inform the public if the levels get dangerously high.
Cottonwood Branch runs from the southwest corner of downtown Bryan, crosses F.M. 2818 and goes through the Brazos County Industrial Park, where Sanderson Farms is located.
"I don't see any place where [the creek] is used recreationally," said Alton Jones, assistant director of public works for Bryan. "There aren't any parks on it. It doesn't go into the city's water source and I don't know of any shallow wells."
The city of Bryan doesn't do any testing on Cottonwood Branch, but Jones said testing runoff from construction sites is planned in the future. The city doesn't have the authority to monitor Sanderson Farms because it sits outside the city limits, officials said.
Erik Erickson, division manager at the Sanderson Farms plant, declined to comment for this story, directing questions to Mike Cockrell, the company's chief financial officer in Mississippi. Cockrell didn't respond to messages left Wednesday and Thursday seeking comment. His assistant said he was in board meetings.
Lisa Wheeler, a spokeswoman for the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, said Wednesday that the plant is permitted to discharge wastewater into the stream.
"All permitted discharges must meet state standards and are not allowed to impact the designated use of the waterway," she said in a statement.
Jones said Cottonwood Branch has no designated use.
According to online records, the TCEQ found that the creek's water quality didn't meet state standards because of bacteria. When a creek's water is below standards, the TCEQ can implement schedules that create total maximum daily loads that may be disposed of in the water. Records from 2008 indicated that additional data must be collected before such maximums could be implemented.
Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, said he understood that Sanderson Farms wasn't violating the law because it had a permit to dispose of the chemicals, but said the TCEQ should prevent such pollution from being allowed.
"We still think it is unacceptable that a company in this day and age can still dump toxic chemicals in our rivers and streams," he said. "There is no incentive for companies to find alternatives like safer chemicals or better control methods."
He said the fact that the creek doesn't seem to be used for drinking or recreation doesn't excuse the dumping.
"The public expects our rivers and streams to be clean," he said.
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