Hanover Foods Corporation

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A major Pennsylvania food company faces a seven-figure penalty after federal investigators uncovered years of wastewater violations at its Hanover plant, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Hanover Foods Corp. agreed to pay a $1.15 million civil penalty and make extensive upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility after allegedly failing to properly treat industrial waste in Hanover, according to the proposed consent decree.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson said the company “jeopardized human health and the environment” by discharging improperly treated wastewater into Oil Creek, which flows into the Susquehanna River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay, according to the announcement.

Federal investigators say Hanover Foods violated its state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit more than 600 times since 2016 by exceeding limits for pollutants including suspended solids, ammonia nitrogen, and phosphorus, according to the complaint filed with the settlement. Inspectors also found numerous operations and maintenance violations at the facility, the DOJ said.

Acting EPA Assistant Administrator Craig Pritzlaff said the company’s compliance is “essential for safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay and ensuring that local water sources remain clean,” according to the release.

Under the proposed agreement, Hanover Foods must install new equipment, maintain proper treatment temperatures, implement a spare-parts program to prevent system failures, improve monitoring, report violations, identify causes, and take corrective action, according to federal officials.

The company processes foods including beans and vegetables for canning and fresh packing at the plant, generating industrial waste that must be treated before discharge, the EPA said.

The consent decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval, according to the DOJ.