HomeMy WebLinkAbout040001_Response to NOV-2024-DV-0221_20240726HAWK VALLEY
L A R M S
:7
June 26, 2024
Mark Brantley
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Mr. Brantley,
2911 Hawk Valley Drive
Monroe, NC 28110
HawkValleyFarms.com
This letter is to address the recent violation at our Anson county farm.
We purchased this property July 2019 from Rolling Hill Farms. We were not aware
or told that this was a lagoon or that it was something that had been permitted or
monitored nor were there any disclosures at the closing. We certainly did not
know that we were taking responsibility to pay for the "sins of the past owners"
who it seems don't have any responsibility now that it's been passed on to us.
There were no chicken houses on the property and whatever operations that
were done here had ended sometime before the 2000"s. Mr. Hill was running
cattle on this property and we planned on doing the same thing. The only thing he
told me was that the sandy dirt in the bottom of the first pond was like lime and
that he had dug some out and put on the field at his other farm.
At this point I will call NRCS this week and start the process on what to do to
settle this. In the meantime We don't have anything that tells us what a violation
is or what the rules are for this pond. When the last inspectors came after the
heavy rain and saw water coming out we didn't think anything of it, to them it
was a big deal. Our cows have been drinking and swimming in that pond for 5
years now and Mr. Hill's before that and nobody has died or gotten sick. The
water sample that was taken showed that there was no harm there. They told
Cory, my son and who lives there and met them what to do so he filled in the
runoff spot and closed the spot where water could go between the two ponds.
I know this is the laws and rules and that your office is only doing their jobs and
we appreciate any advise and help. We will need and would appreciate more time
to fix whatever has to be fixed.
Thank you and if there is anything that I need to address or answer please let me
know.
Mike Walton