Sponsor Spotlight
John Runkle and Nancy Dole
Shining a light on two of our most dedicated supporters: Thank you to John and Nancy and all our CRO Press Club members for their support that makes our reporting possible.
Before the pandemic, some of the riverkeepers flew over the farms at least once a week. When they found a suspected violation, they took pictures that included a timestamp and GPS coordinates. Then they’d send that information to the state Department of Environmental Quality, which is supposed to investigate the complaint and cite the farm if a violation is found.
By law, the DEQ cannot use a third party’s information to determine whether a farm should be issued a notice of violation, which would force the farm owner to remedy the infraction and abide by the state’s laws and regulations. A fine often comes with the notice. The department has to conduct its own investigation and draw its own conclusions.