YAKIMA, WA — Today, Center for Food Safety, Community Association of Restoration of the Environment (CARE), and Friends of Toppenish Creek filed suit against Majestic Dairy to end the facility's contamination of underground drinking water.
The lawsuit alleges that Majestic Dairy mishandles its manure by over-applying it to agricultural fields, improperly storing it in leaking earthen lagoons, and composting it on bare ground. Dangerous amounts of nitrates, phosphorus, bovine pharmaceuticals, and other pollutants accumulate in the aquifer as a consequence of Majestic Dairy's unlawful manure management decisions. These accumulations endanger public health and threaten widespread environmental harm.
"Majestic Dairy has no choice but to change its manure management practices," said Charlie Tebbutt, lead counsel for the groups. "The Dairy's manure application and storage problems cause widespread groundwater pollution, putting the lives of Lower Yakima Valley residents in clear danger. Congress empowered citizens to file suit to protect their communities from environmental harm, and that's exactly what these groups are doing today."
"Factory dairies like Majestic present a significant threat to public health and the environment. These are not the small, idyllic farms of yesteryear," said Amy van Saun, senior attorney with Center for Food Safety and co-counsel for the groups. "These facilities generate millions of gallons of manure waste — far more than the soil has capacity to use as fertilizer. The pollution contained in the excess manure winds up in Lower Yakima Valley residents' drinking water wells, where it can cause dangerous health conditions like methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome. The residents of the Yakima Valley deserve better from their agricultural neighbors."
"A core tenet of CARE's mission is to stop unchecked dairy pollution in the Yakima Valley," said Helen Reddout, president of CARE. "For decades, Washington regulators have ignored the Valley's pollution problems, allowing the aquifer to become more polluted under their watch, not less. Through this lawsuit, CARE continues to protect its community by holding polluting dairies accountable for their environmental contamination."
"Clean water for everyone is not merely aspirational. We believe it is a fundamental right for the people who live in the Lower Yakima Valley," said Jean Mendoza, executive director of the Friends of Toppenish Creek. "No other industry has a green light to pollute groundwater, and it's time to end the special environmental exemptions provided to industrialized dairies in this state."
In addition to Tebbutt, CARE, Friends of Toppenish Creek, and Center for Food Safety are represented by the Terrell Marshall Law Group, PLLC and the Law Office of Andrea Rodgers, both in Seattle, Washington.
VIEW THE COMPLAINT >>
