A Washington County swine producer will pay a compliance penalty following a Department of Natural Resources consent order. Wellman Feeder Pig, Inc. has a $5,000 penalty for violations of animal feeding operation regulations and water quality regulations. The order states they must also implement a standard operating procedure to ensure an appropriate freeboard level at all times and conduct an inspection of the manure containment basin. The facility on Hemlock Avenue has 2,790 swine and the manure is stored in a lagoon and on September 6, 2018, the DNR was notified that it was near maximum capacity. That day an environmental specialist with the DNR investigated and observed manure discharging from the facility, flowing over the top of the lagoon berm, and entering a tributary of Lime Creek. Field tests and subsequent lab tests showed the concentration of ammonia in the stream as 7.8 milligrams per liter. There were no dead fish as a result of the discharge observed. On September 14, 2018, the violation was issued. The administrative consent order was signed off on February 20th.