EPA Press Office:

EPA Fines Knouse Foods of Central PA $230,000 for 120 Violations of Pollution Laws

Settlement protects waters leading into Chesapeake Bay

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 14, 2022) -- Knouse Foods Cooperative, Inc. will pay a $230,000 penalty to settle alleged Clean Water Act violations at its fruit processing facility in Peach Glenn, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

“With 120 violations, this is one of the worst cases we have seen for a while.  It’s crucial for us to hold polluters like this accountable to protect our water,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “As part of the Chesapeake Bay region, millions of people and wildlife count on clean water for their health and wealth.”

According to the settlement, on approximately 120 occasions the Adams County facility exceeded permit limits on nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants in the discharge of fruit processing wastewater.  The facility also failed to implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan to minimize discharges of pollutants. Excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus feed algal blooms that can cause dead zones with little oxygen that can kill fish and shellfish.

The processing facility, located at 800 Peach Glen-Idaville Road, discharges wastewater to Bermudian Creek which flows into Conewago Creek and then the Susquehanna River to the Chesapeake Bay.

As part of the settlement, Knouse has certified that it is now in compliance with applicable Clean Water Act requirements. For more information about the Clean Water Act permit program, visit www.epa.gov/npdes.

In April of this year, EPA announced that it was stepping up enforcement actions in Pennsylvania as part of an effort to urge the state to be more compliant with clean water laws and the multistate Chesapeake Bay Agreement.  In the summer, the legislature passed, and Governor Wolf signed a legislative package bolstering programming and funding to control pollution.

“Pennsylvania has made remarkable progress, and compliance by Knouse and other industry leaders will help accelerate restoration of local waters and the Bay,” Ortiz said.

This settlement also furthers EPA’s national compliance initiative to reduce significant noncompliance and improve surface water quality by addressing unauthorized discharges and other violations that may impact public health and the environment.