By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com

The discharges had elevated carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) in essence a lack of oxygen in the water.

"The elevated level of CBOD is considered to be the cause of the recent fish kill," the release from city Public Information Officer Wendy Meyer-Jerke said. "The city of Grand Island is awaiting the NDEQ (Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality) final determination on the matter."

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reported this week that more than 10,600 fish were killed across 24 miles of waterways. The kill started at the city's wastewater treatment plant outfall ditch, just east of Swift Road near Shady Bend Road, and continued east across 16.5 miles of the Wood River and into 7.5 miles of the Platte River.

The city said its CBOD levels were in violation of its wastewater discharge permit because meatpacking plant JBS Swift & Co. overloaded the wastewater treatment plant.

" the discharge from Swift's pre-treatment system peaked at three to five times the average loading," the city release stated. "The city's wastewater treatment plant was overwhelmed by the peak in loading and therefore was unable to meet the discharge permit limits."

The discharge violations also continued longer than first reported. The city reported to NDEQ last Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, that violations were occurring on those days.

The city reported Wednesday that lab tests it received on Wednesday show that the discharge violations also occurred Sunday and Monday.

"The city of Grand Island takes full responsibility for the compliance with terms of its discharge permit for wastewater and will follow all recommendations set forth by the NDEQ," the city's release stated. "The city will take any and all measures necessary to ensure that the discharge from the wastewater treatment plant meets the standards set forth by the NDEQ."

"The city of Grand Island strives to be a good steward of the environment and will continue to regularly sample, monitor and test wastewater discharge to ensure the environmental health and safety standards of the DEQ are met," the release continued. "The city of Grand Island does take seriously the environmental concerns that the regulations are designed to protect."

JBS spokeswoman Tamara Smid said JBS is also taking the violations seriously and has hired an environmental engineering consultant who is to be in Grand Island on Friday.