Fruitland meat processor, sewer district strike deal to solve each other's problems

A local meat processing plant and sewer district have reached an agreement that will improve both parties' situations and be a benefit to the community, a local business owner said Wednesday.

In December, Fruitland American Meat LLC of Fruitland lost a lawsuit by the State of Missouri Department of Natural Resources that alleged violations of Missouri's Clean Water Act.

The judgment included $70,000 in fines and required the company to drain and close its existing wastewater treatment system, which included three lagoons and two evaporation pools, according to court documents.

Full compliance with the ordered upgrade would result in a $55,000 reduction of the fines for Clean Water Act violations, court documents said.

Jack Whisnant, owner of Fruitland American Meat, said the deal his company reached with the Cape Girardeau County Sewer District benefits both parties.

The company has granted an easement to the sewer district and will sell 3.8 acres to the district at a price under appraised value. This will allow the sewer district to build and operate the required treatment plant for the new sewer system, and the entire town will benefit, Whisnant said.

"We're really excited to work with the district on getting this put in. It's a win for us, really good for the sewer district and the community," Whisnant said. "This will get a facility built that has been needed for 10 years or more."

Whisnant said the population of Fruitland has grown in the last few years, putting a strain on existing sewer systems.

"When this packing plant was built, there wasn't a population nearby," he said, adding a new solution is needed for a new situation.

Fruitland is an unincorporated community, so there is not a central municipal government to create a water system that would serve the entire population.

Families, subdivisions and businesses have used septic systems or lagoons that functioned, but those systems have proven inadequate, said Joe Tousignant, president of the Cape County Sewer District.

"We are a governing body formed by voter ballot in 1997 to address Fruitland's inadequate water management system," Tousignant said.

The district is governed by a body of seven volunteers, who are working to secure easements from landowners in Fruitland.

"We have funding secured to install a sewer system, including lines and water mains," he said.

This system will serve businesses and residents in Fruitland and will result in improved property values, lower water bills and a more coherent ability to respond to situations that may arise, Tousignant said.

Tousignant said the three-acre plot behind Fruitland American Meat's processing plant will have an access road from Route FF to the future site of the main wastewater treatment plant.

"Once our plant is built, they have agreed to close the primary lagoon at their expense. That one has sledge in it, waste, so there'll be some expense there. They'll hook up to our plant at that point and will be a commercial customer of the district. They're paying their way."

The main lagoon will be drained load by load, and each load will be trucked to one of the sewer district's treatment facilities for processing and disposal.

After the lagoon is drained, a temporary treatment facility will be installed at Fruitland American Meat until construction of the main treatment plant is finished, Tousignant said.

"Even before anyone with the district started talking with Fruitland American Meat, our first conceptual design on the big project, that location near I-55, was already chosen as being a good central location for our treatment plant," Tousignant said.

"We worked together to address immediate problems and long-term problems that they've had. We're helping them and the community with this, and they're helping us achieve our goal of providing a needed service to Fruitland residents."

Tousignant said these are not the only benefits to this solution process.

"Overall, we are helping to keep a business in business, saving jobs, and we really helped eliminate an odor problem," he said. "We are also protecting the environment from future spills or discharges from their facility. It's truly a win-win."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: 3006 State Highway FF, Jackson