The attorney for a Newton County hog farm has filed an appeal of the state’s decision to deny the farm’s permit to continue operating.
William Waddell of Little Rock filed the appeal on behalf of C&H Hog Farms, which has 6,503 pigs at its farm that sits on Big Creek, a tributary of the Buffalo National River.
Concerns for the river, which attracted nearly 1.8 million visitors in 2016, have galvanized opposition to the farm. Its detractors fear that pig manure stored in pits or spread on land will pollute the scenic, free-flowing river that is popular with floaters, fishermen, hikers and campers.
C&H had until Feb. 10 to file the appeal after the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality decided Jan. 10 to deny the farm’s application for a new operating permit in the Buffalo River watershed.
The Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, the department’s appellate body, issued a stay Wednesday of the department’s permit denial. C&H will be allowed to continue operations until the appeal process is concluded.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality approves and denies permits and permit modifications, but its decisions can be appealed to the commission.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.