Federal Trial Begins in Lawsuit Alleging River Pollution from Industrial Dairy

A federal trial began Tuesday in Syracuse, New York, in a lawsuit that accuses Wood Farms LLC, a large industrial dairy in northern New York, of polluting waterways that flow into the St. Lawrence River. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) alleges that Wood Farms has committed over 1,000 unlawful discharges into Wheeler Creek and the St. Lawrence River since 2018.

The case tests whether factory farms will be held accountable under the Clean Water Act. CFS seeks court orders requiring the dairy to halt unlawful pollution, remediate environmental damage, and comply with the law. The organization is also seeking civil penalties authorized by law. CFS is represented by the Law Office of Charles M. Tebbutt, Public Justice, Don Spurrell Law, and in-house counsel.

CFS accuses Wood Farms of repeatedly violating the Clean Water Act. Allegations include discharging manure, process wastewater, and other pollutants into surrounding waterways. Furthermore, the suit claims manure has been improperly applied during wet weather and winter conditions, and that the farm has failed to comply with permit requirements designed to protect water quality. The farm, which houses over 3,000 cows, generates millions of pounds of manure annually.

The trial centers on claims that evidence, including water sampling, photographs, and expert testimony, demonstrates an ongoing pattern of manure runoff entering streams and tributaries that ultimately lead to the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. CFS has spent decades working to hold large factory farms accountable for their pollution, aiming to ensure the Clean Water Act effectively protects the environment.

"Communities pay the price through contaminated drinking water, polluted rivers, algal blooms, and declining fisheries," said Kingsly A. McConnell, Staff Attorney for CFS. "This case is about making sure that law means something."