JOSLIN, Ill. — It takes literal tons of water to make hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets, according to United Nations data.
According to the United Nations, agriculture uses around 72% of the world's freshwater withdrawals. Animal meat production accounts for nearly one-third of that freshwater consumption, according to research commissioned by animal welfare organization Compassion in World Farming.
Meat processors pump a portion of that water, along with pounds of toxic pollutants, directly back into the rivers, streams and lakes it came from, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports. The meat industry's water usage generates millions of gallons of wastewater and is one of the largest sources of industrial nutrient pollution in the country, damaging human and environmental health.
According to a recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Tyson Foods dumped more than 371 million pounds of pollutants directly into the nation's waterways between 2018 and 2022, including in Illinois and Iowa. More than half of this came from plants in Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is an advocacy group of researchers, policy experts, advocates and others with a mission statement that reads: "The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future."
The nonprofit's report analyzed publicly available data from the EPA to break down the extent of Tyson's water pollution.
How many pollutants did Tyson dump into Iowa and Illinois water?
The report said that Tyson dumped 52.7 million pounds of pollutants into Illinois waterways — all of which came from the plant in Joslin. 5.2 million pounds of pollutants came from Iowa facilities, including plants in Columbus Junction, Perry and Storm Lake.
The plant in Dakota City, Nebraska, released 60.5 million pounds, according to an interactive map from the report. That plant sits near the Missouri River, which runs along the western border of Iowa. A total of 111.2 million pounds of pollutants went into Nebraska's waterways — the highest in the nation. 48.6 million pounds of pollutants went into Missouri waterways.
"Tyson's water pollution includes nitrogen and phosphorus that can deplete water oxygen, animal parts and byproducts like blood and feces, and pathogens like E. coli and Enterococcus," the Union of Concerned Scientists says on its website. "Previous research found that almost 75% of water-polluting meat processing facilities are located within one mile of communities of 'demographic or environmental characteristics of concern'—that is, communities where people live with more pollution, less power, and worse health compared to other areas of the United States."
The researchers expect the report's findings to be only a small fraction of the meat industry's total water pollution, as the report didn't take water pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations, agriculture feed sources and fertilizer runoff into account.
How legitimate are the report's findings?
Jason Knouft, a St. Louis University professor of biology and principal investigator for SLU's WATER Institute, said he believed the data shared in the report was relatively accurate based on EPA reports. He also said that the pollution from meat processors greatly impacts water quality, fishing industries and the nation's food supply chain.
"This is a broader issue, not just a Tyson issue," Knouft told News 8's sister station KSDK in St. Louis. "It's an industry-wide problem that we need to do a better job of dealing with so other components of our economy don't bear the cost. At the end of the day, it's not fair for other people to bear the cost or other industries to bear the cost of what the meat processing industry is doing."
News 8 reached out to Tyson Foods about the report and received the following statement:
"Tyson Food uses a robust management system to mitigate environmental risks and impact, and we strive to run our operations as responsible stewards of our natural resources. We consistently monitor effluent from our facilities, and we work closely with our federal and state regulators, as well as our local municipalities, as we plan, design, and operate our wastewater systems. This report does not acknowledge our ongoing compliance with EPA regulations and certification by the Water Alliance for our strong water management practices. Our longstanding treatment program protects the environment and the interests of water across our nation, along with ensuring resiliency of the food system."
The EPA says it is working to set limits on nitrogen and phosphorous discharges and establish new pre-treatment standards for oil, grease and other waste from meat and poultry producers. News 8 reached out to the EPA and received the following response:
The referenced report discusses water pollution from Tyson Food meat processing facilities. Such facilities are subject to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Meat and Poultry Products (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards. EPA initially promulgated the MPP Effluent Guidelines and Standards in 1974 and amended the regulation in 2004. The regulation (40 CFR Part 432) covers wastewater directly discharged by slaughterhouses, further processors, independent renderers and poultry processors. The effluent limits in the regulation are required to be incorporated into NPDES permits, as are any additional or more stringent effluent limits necessary to comply with water quality standards for the water bodies the facilities discharge into.
EPA has proposed amendments to the MPP regulation that would: establish more stringent effluent limitations for nitrogen and, for the first time, limits on phosphorus; add E. coli bacteria limitations for direct dischargers; and extend coverage to include indirect dischargers. EPA estimates that the proposed rule would reduce nitrogen and phosphorus discharged in wastewater from MPP facilities by 16 to 96 million pounds per year, and biochemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, and total suspended solids by 80 to 230 million pounds per year as well as significant reductions in many other pollutants such as chlorides. EPA held public hearings on the proposal on January 24, January 31 and March 20, 2024, and accepted public comments on the proposal through March 25, 2024. The agency is reviewing these comments to inform the final rule, which EPA expects to finalize by August 2025.
The report says that the facility-level wastewater discharge data cited is from EPA's Water Pollutant Loading Tool. EPA has not independently verified this claim.
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