An ongoing investigation into the failure of a hog farm lagoon in Jones County resulted in four violations sent to the owners on Wednesday.
DC Mills Farm owners Donnie and Christian Mills were previously warned twice in 2020 for issues regarding the lagoon.
On Feb. 19 the farm was notified by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality of a deficiency regarding the water levels of the lagoon were too high in accordance with the facilities Certified Animal Waste Management plan. On July 9 they received notice of a violation for failure to maintain proper water levels of the lagoon.
The NCDEQ started investigating the farms oversight of the lagoon on Dec. 21 after approximately 1 million gallons of animal waste spilled into the Tuchahoe Creek. The creek, which is 300 feet away from the lagoon, also flows into the Trent River, connecting with the Neuse River and into the Pamlico Sound.