Fact Sheet - Smithfield Packing Company, Inc. 

Renewal -- NPDES Permit NC0078344 

Page 1

DENR / DWQ / NPDES Unit 

FACT SHEET FOR NPDES PERMIT DEVELOPMENT

NPDES Permit No. NC0078344 

Facility Information

Applicant/Facility Name Smithfield Packing Company, Inc. / Tar Heel Division WWTP 

Applicant Address P.O. Box 99, Tar Heel, North Carolina 28392 

Facility Address 15855 NC Highway 87 West, Tar Heel North Carolina 28392 

Permitted Flow (MGD) 3.0 MGD 

Type of Waste 98% Industrial; 2% Domestic 

Facility Class IV County Bladen 

Facility Status Renewal Regional Office Fayetteville 

Stream Characteristics

Receiving Stream Cape Fear River Stream Classification C 

Drainage Area (sq. mi.) 4900 Drainage basin Cape Fear 

Summer 7Q10 (cfs) 795 Subbasin 03-06-16 

Winter 7Q10 (cfs) 1035 Stream segment 18-(26)d 

30Q2 (cfs) 1600 303(d) Listed No 

Average Flow (cfs) 5000 State Grid St. Pauls H23SE 

IWC (%) 0.58 8- Digit HUC 03020201 

Summary 

The Smithfield Packing Company, Tar Heel Division (Smithfield) is a hog slaughtering and 

pork packing plant constructed in 1992 that currently harvests an average of 32,000 hogs 

per day weighing approximately 267 lb/hog. The primary products are fresh cuts. Byproduct operations include blood and hair collection, viscera handling and inedible 

rendering. The plant operates two shifts five or six days per week. All process wastewater is 

treated at the Tar Heel Division WWTP. Public hearings have been held for the last three 

times this permit has been renewed. 

Since the time of the issuance of the previous permit, Smithfield has obtained two permit 

modifications and five authorizations to construct new wastewater treatment facilities 

(ATCs). The first modification was issued on May 8, 2009, to allow all effluent TRC values 

reported below 50 μg/L quantification level to be deemed compliant with the permit. The 

second modification allowed the company flexibility in its work schedule. It changed the 

weekly maximum production limit from 176,000 hogs slaughtered per week to 352,000 hogs 

slaughtered per 2-week period. 

The first authorization to construct (ATC) was issued on November 29, 2007, for three new 

floating surface aerators, one in each existing nitrification reactor. Another ATC was issued 

on March 7, 2008 for the replacement of existing diffusers in three aeration basins. On 

October 6, 2008, an ATC was issued for the installation of two carbon source storage tanks, 

one 2-million gallon aeration basin, and sludge facility improvements. On June 18, 2010, an 

ATC was issued for the installation of a centrifuge sludge dewatering system. The final ATC 

was issued on July 8, 2010, for a backup liquid chlorination/dechlorination system. 
Fact Sheet 

Renewal -- NPDES NC0078344 

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During the previous permit renewal period, Smithfield could not comply with new effluent 

guideline requirements for total nitrogen. DENR filed a consent judicial order against 

Smithfield Packing Company, Inc. on July 13, 2007, to allow the company to enact a legallyenforceable schedule of compliance. In response, Smithfield constructed new treatment 

systems, including two 10,000-gallon carbon source storage tanks (ATC 078344A04). 

There was also a third party challenge from an environmental group named Citizens for 

Clean Industry, Inc. This challenge was related to many issues, including the previouslymentioned compliance issue with the new effluent guidelines, groundwater withdrawals, and 

Smithfield’s requested increase in the number of hogs processed. The challenge resulted 

in a mediated partial settlement issued March 17, 2008. 

Wastewaters are generated from the production areas, trailer wash, truck maintenance 

garage, and sanitary facilities. In addition, tankers bring wastewater (waste pickle, meat 

purge) from other facilities to the site for treatment. The facility is regulated under the 

Federal Effluent Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Products, 40 CFR 432, Subpart B - 

Complex Slaughterhouses. 

Description of Treatment Facilities 

Preliminary Treatment Facilities 

 Raw waste storage pit - receives wastewater from packing plant, pens, utilities 

buildings, and truck wash 

 In-channel, self cleaning screen 

 Dissolved air flotation (DAF) system 

 Centrifuge system for dewatering residuals 

 Holding tank for skimmings and bottom solids with polymer flocculation 

Domestic Wastewater Treatment System (0.06 MGD; separate system) 

 Equalization basin 

 Packaged activated sludge system - Effluent is combined with the effluent from 

the process wastewater treatment system; residuals are sent to PWC Cross 

Creek WRF 

Process Wastewater Treatment Facilities (3.0 MGD) 

 Anaerobic splitter structure - receives pretreated wastewater 

 Two anaerobic basins with floating covers and biogas collection system 

 Anoxic splitter structure 

 Three anoxic basins with mixers 

 Aeration splitter structure 

 Four aeration basins with subsurface diffusers 

 Clarifiers splitter structure 

 Four final clarifiers 

 Four tertiary (fuzzy) filters (one dedicated to the reuse system) 

 Reaeration chamber with coarse-bubble diffuser system 

 UV disinfection system combined with chlorination/dechlorination 

 Final effluent wet well - treated wastewater can be discharged to the river or to 

the effluent storage lagoon 

 Effluent storage lagoon - 90 MG capacity - receives first flush stormwater from 

packing plant and off- quality effluent. From this lagoon, flows may be pumped to 

the final clarifiers, the tertiary filters, or the aeration basins. 
Fact Sheet 

Renewal -- NPDES NC0078344 

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Reuse System for Plant (2 MGD) 

A portion of the flow from the final clarifiers is diverted to the reuse system. This 

water is filtered and disinfected and then may be used at the plant for cleanup in the 

pretreatment area and at the spray bars for the rotating screens, cleanup in inedible 

rendering, processing of casings and chitterlings, blowing hairs to rendering, and 

cleaning the pens. After passing through a dedicated tertiary filter and the ammonia 

condensers at the utility building, reuse flow can be returned to the re-aeration basin. 

Compliance Review 

Reporting from BIMS was examined for monitoring report violations from January 2008 until 

August 2011. There were several exceedances of the total fecal coliform limit from 

November 2008 until June 2011. This was addressed when the facility installed a backup 

liquid chlorination/dechlorination system (Authorization to Construct issued July 8, 2010). 

Additionally, there was one exceedance of the monthly total nitrogen limit in January 2011 

and two oil & grease weekly limit exceedances in September 2009. The company attributed 

the oil & grease exceedances to laboratory error. 

Daily TSS limits were exceeded four times in January and February 2010. A new centrifuge 

system for dewatering sludge was installed in late 2010 (see Authorization to Construct 

dated June 18, 2010) to address the solids issue. 

The existing permit has special conditions regarding the number of hogs which may be 

processed on a bi-weekly and annual basis. The limits of 390,000 hogs slaughtered per 

two-week period and 8,488,000 hogs slaughtered per year (subsequently 9,500,000 hogs 

per year) were not exceeded. 

Table 1. Miscellaneous Data 

001

Average Flow 

(MGD) 

001

Max Daily 

Flow (MGD)

Average annual 

Groundwater 

withdrawal (MGD) 

Average hog 

production 

(hogs/2-weeks)

Effluent BOD 

(mg/L) 

2008 2.00 3.52 1.41 

2009 2.13 4.34 1.50 2.87 

2010 2.38 4.17 1.63 6.39 

2011 2.28 3.33 1.59 305,978 4.93 

Table 2. Effluent Data: 1/1/2009 – 6/30/2011 

BOD Ammonia TN TSS Fecal Coliform Dissolved 

Oxygen 

lb/day lb/day mg/L lb/day count /100 mL mg/L

Average 91.6 5.07 121 385 27.9 (geometric 

mean) 7.6 

Maximum 508 60.6 248 5043 1900 10.1 

Minimum 9.5 < 0.1 21.2 51.4 < 1 5.3 
Fact Sheet 

Renewal -- NPDES NC0078344 

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Reasonable Potential Analysis 

A reasonable potential analysis using DMR data was conducted for pollutants of concern for 

which monitoring is required in the present permit. These are aluminum, copper, nickel, 

zinc, fluorides, and chlorides. None of the parameters showed any reasonable potential to 

cause an exceedance of water quality standards. In addition, the facility has passed all of 

its quarterly toxicity tests. Since these parameters were being monitored at the 

recommendation of previous public hearing officers, it was proposed that they continue to be 

monitored during the next permit period. 

Instream Monitoring Data 

Smithfield is a member of the Middle Cape Fear River Basin Association. The Association 

monitors two stations in the Cape Fear River near the Smithfield discharge, B8302000 

located near Tolarsville, upstream of Smithfield’s discharge, and B8305000, at Tar Heel 

downstream from Smithfield’s discharge. As shown on the following tables, a comparison of 

the upstream data with the downstream data shows that the facility’s discharge did not 

significantly impact the Cape Fear River during this review period.

Table 3. Station B8302000 - Near Tolarsville - Cape Fear River Upstream from 

Smithfield 

5/1/03/05 -12/16/09 

DO pH Conductance Fecal Coliform Total Suspended solids Turbidity NH3N TKN NO2 NO3 TP 

mg/L SU μmhos/cm /100 mL mg/L NTU mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L 

Median 7.5 6.7 126 34.2 9 9.1 0.06 0.6 0.73 0.13 

Max 13.2 7.6 232 76 77.4 0.29 1 1.53 0.37 

Min 5.1 4.6 64 1 2.9 0.02 0.2 0.26 0.02 

Table 4. Station B8305000 Tar Heel, NC - Cape Fear River Downstream from Smithfield 

1/07/05 -12/16/09 

DO 

pH 

Conductance 

Fecal 

Coliform 

Total 

Suspended 

solids 

Turbidity 

NH3N 

TKN 

NO2 NO3 

TP 

mg/L SU μmhos/cm /100 mL mg/L NTU mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L 

Median 7.4 6.7 133 29.4 9 9.9 0.05 0.6 0.99 0.17 

Max 13.1 8.5 228 87 70.2 0.27 3.1 2.56 0.4 

Min 5.3 5.7 63 1 3.8 0.02 0.2 0.36 0.02 

Effluent Guidelines 

Prior to the previous renewal in 2004, EPA revised the guidelines for the Meat and Poultry 

Industry (40 CFR 432) in 2004. In order to provide time to update the plant’s treatment 

facilities to meet a more stringent total nitrogen limit, a judicial consent order was issued by 

DWQ on July 13, 2007. The company has substantially complied with the requirements of 

this order. 
Fact Sheet 

Renewal -- NPDES NC0078344 

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The Smithfield Packing Company’s Tar Heel plant is a complex slaughterhouse processing 

more than 50 million pounds per year. The applicable section of the guidelines is 40 CFR 

432.25 (b) New Source Performance Standards. Limits for BOD, Oil & Grease, and TSS are 

based on production, which is defined as live weight killed (LWK), or the total weight of 

animals slaughtered. Total nitrogen and ammonia limits are concentration based. The 

average production over the past three years was 8,222,000 lbs/day, or 8222 1000-pounds 

LWK. 

Table 5. Effluent Guidelines Limits: 

Parameter EG Limitations (40 CFR 432) Calculated EG Limits (lb/day) 

Daily Maximum Monthly Avg. Daily Maximum Monthly Avg. 

Ammonia (as N)* 8 mg/L 4 mg/L 200.16 lb/day 100.08 lb/day 

BOD** 0.42 lb/1000 lb LWK 0.21 lb/1000 lb LWK 3453 lb/day 1727 lb/day 

Total Nitrogen* 194 mg/L 134 mg/L 4853.88 lb/day 3352.68 lb/day 

O&G** 0.16 lb/1000 lb LWK 0.08 lb/1000 lb LWK 1315 lb/day 658 lb/day 

TSS** 0.5 lb/1000 lb LWK 0.25 lb/1000 lb LWK 4111 lb/day 2055 lb/day 

Fecal Coliform** max 400/100mL 

*(432.25(b)(1)) 

**(432.22(a)(1)) 

Table 6. Existing and Proposed Limits: 

Parameter 

Existing Limits Comments 

Monthly Average Daily Maximum 

Ammonia 

summer 

30.0 lb/day (2.0 mg/L) 60.0 lb/day 

(7.5 mg/L) 

No changes 

Ammonia 

winter

60.0 lb/day (4.0 mg/L) 120.0 lb/day 

(8.0 mg/L) 

No changes 

BOD summer 250 lb/day 500 lb/day 

(30 mg/L) 

No changes 

BOD winter 500 lb/d 1000 lb/d 

(45 mg/L) 

No changes 

Total Nitrogen 134 mg/L 194 mg/L No changes - Effluent Guidelines 

O&G 319.6 lb/day 639.2 lb/day No changes - WQ-based 

TSS 998.7 lb/day 1997.5 lb/day No changes - Effluent Guidelines 

 

Fecal Coliform 

 

200/100 mL 400/100 mL 

No changes - Effluent Guidelines for 

daily max; monthly avg. based on NC 

WQ standards 

Summary of Proposed Modifications to Permit 

 Condition A (4) (c) was modified to reduce the maximum groundwater usage to 

an annual average of 1.78 million gallons per day. 

 The language in condition A (4) (b) regarding maximum annual production was 

updated. 

 The description of the treatment system on the supplemental page was modified 

to include new treatment equipment. 
Fact Sheet 

Renewal -- NPDES NC0078344 

Page 6

Proposed Schedule of Permit Issuance 

Draft Permit to Public Notice: November 22, 2011 

Permit Scheduled to Issue: January 2012 

Permit Expiration Date: October 31, 2016 

NPDES Unit Contact 

If you have questions regarding any of the above information or on the attached permit, 

please contact Gil Vinzani at (919) 807-6395 or at gil.vinzani@ncdenr.gov. 

SIGNATURE: [ORIGINAL SIGNED BY GIL VINZANI] DATE: 1-12-2012