A standing-room only crowd attended the Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning to express their concern about the incident, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — On Jan. 6, a wastewater lagoon at the JBS meatpacking plant in Grand Island had a breach, sending 2 million gallons of wastewater into a ditch near the facility, then emptied into Wood River and eventually reached the Platte River.
A standing-room only crowd attended the Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning to express their concern about the incident, including how it would affect water from their drinking-water wells and swimming areas at a group of lakes east of the JBS plant.
No JBS official attended Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioner Jane Richardson, who lives at Kuester Lake east of JBS, placed the matter on the agenda. She is going to draft a letter to send to JBS that commissioners will review at their next meeting in 2 weeks.
Two officials from the state Department of Environment and Energy attended Tuesday’s meeting and answered numerous questions. More details will appear later.
