090014_Response to NOV Squrrel Hill Farm_20210105

1
To: J Trent Allen
Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Division of Water Resources
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JAN ` ;1 202i
DEQ-FAYET EVILLEREGIONALOFFHC'
My name is Raymond Clyde Marlowe II, OIC and owner of Squirrel Hill Finishing. I am writing this letter
in response to the violations on November 16, 2020 at Squirrel Hill Finishing located at 415 Culbreth
Smith Rd Elizabethtown N.C. 28337.
In response to violation 1
I recovered around 100 gallons of contaminated water from surface waters at the toe of the lagoon
bank behind house 9 with a small sump pump and it was returned to lagoon via hoses from the pump.
All contaminated water was recovered that I could recover. Once Inspector Guyton text me and notified
me the lagoon was seeping I left my nursery where I was welding and went to the finishing farm. Once I
arrived I got the tractor with front bucket and moved dirt to the area of the lagoon bank where the
seeping was occurring. I put six scoops of dirt from the bucket of the tractor on the lagoon bank to stop
the seeping.
Violation 2-4
I did not walk lagoon bank on November 13,2020. 1 told inspector Steve Guyton I checked lagoon marker
and saw it was above structure and called it in to him as well as Becky Spearman, I also told inspector
Guyton I had been so busy it did not occur to me to walk the bank of the lagoon. I was told of the
erosion and that I needed to fix it. Again I got busy in my daily chores on the farm, being the only
employee of the farm and had not got around to fixing the eroded areas as they should be.
I have contacted John Pate with Smithfield and scheduled the company technician to come out and
correct the issue with the lagoon marker reading incorrectly. On January 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. I met
with Travis Craft of Smithfield Hog Production and he surveyed the lagoon bank for the placement of the
new lagoon marker. Upon completion of the survey Travis advised me to fill in the eroded areas which
he pointed out to me so the new lagoon marker could be set at the correct height. He advised me once
this was done to contact John Pate again and let him know the task was completed and he would come
out and set a new lagoon marker. Once the lagoon bank and surrounding area dries out some I will haul
dirt in to solve the erosion issue with the lagoon bank at two areas shown to me by Travis Craft. I will
then sew cover seed on the new soil and cover with hay to ensure no further erosion occurs until the
seed germinates. Since the violation the surrounding areas of the lagoon have been to wet to use any
heavy equipment without risk of further damage to the lagoon bank. I am hoping to have this action
corrected within the next thirty days but may be longer depending on the weather and rainfall but rest
assure it will be corrected in a timely manner as I do not intend for an incident like this to occur again.

I want the Division of Water Resources to know that I did not intentionally let this incident occur. I have
always tried my best to be a good steward of the land and take care of our environment. I ask the
Division for forgiveness being that I am truly sorry for the inconvenience I have caused. I have struggled
with lagoon levels at this farm due to weather conditions as well as over population due to covid and
having to keep full houses of hogs complete turns. I have never had a violation, this being my first one
and I plan on it being my last. Since the date of the incident we have had rainfalls of over an inch and I
have checked around the lagoon structure to ensure no further incidents occur. Again I am truly sorry
for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.
Raymond Clyde Marlowe II OIC/Owner