310092_Lagoon Sampling_20180604

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June 4, 2018
CERTIFIED MAIL 7016 2140 0000 0562 4219
RETURNRECEIPT REQUESTED
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Tart Farm
1164NNC 11-903
Kenansville, NC 28349
SUBJECT: Lagoon Sampling - April 13, 2018
Tart Farm
Permit # AW S310092
Duplin County
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ROY COOPER
MICHAEL S. REGAN
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LINDA CULPEPPER
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Thank you for your cooperation in the Division's lagoon waste sampling efforts on.April 13, 2018. On that
day seven teams of Division staff sampled 35 farms and a total of 55 waste lagoons. Multiple teams were
necessary to assure that teams followed proper biosecurity protocols to protect your animals. 1 apologize
for the short notice that was provided to you by our staff. It was our intent to do the sampling as efficiently
and effectively as possible with as little disruption to you and other operators. Staff notified you as soon
as possible once we were comfortable that weather would cooperate and we had staff prepared to complete
the desired sampling on a single day. Complete results of the sampling are available on the NCDA&CS
Agronomic Services Division PALS website and can be accessed there at your convenience.
http://www.neagr.gov/agronomi/pals/
The Division submitted the samples to the lab on April 13, and the standard waste analysis was performed
the following week. The certified results are available to use for loading rate calculations in you waste
application records. Our staff followed sampling protocol established by NCDA&CS Agronomic Sampling
Folder No. 6, revised April 2014, a copy of which is included with this letter. You may at any time resample
your lagoons to establish updated results if you feel more representative sample is desired for future
application events.
One of the intents of the sampling effort was to look at observed changes in lagoon sampling results in a
relatively short period of time. Our records show that a previous sampling event took place on March 17,
2018. Results of the April 13 (one sample, TART) and March 17 (two samples, TART1 and TART2)
sampling events are shown on the following pages for each lagoon sampled on your farm.
While it is unclear which of the lagoon samples collected by the Division correspond to the lagoon sample
collected in March, the results show a significant difference in the PAN concentrations as well as other
macro and micro nutrients that put into questions the validity of the March 17' sampling results. It is
unlikely that a lagoon make-up will change significantly in a month without significant operations event
occurring like a lagoon sludge clean out. For these reasons the Division has deemed the March 171
sampling results for lagoon TART to be invalid until additional information or explanation can be provided
to justify differences in sampling results. More details on the information requested to validate the March
17th sampling data is included below.
Sate of North Carolina I Environmental Quality I Division of Water Resources
Water Quality Regional Operations section
1636 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1636
919-707-9129

Lagoon Sampling - April 13, 2018
Page 2
Lagoon Name: TART
-
Parameter
Sample Date
-
3/17 - 4/13
TART
3/17/2018
TARTI
4/13/2018
Difference
% change
TKN 541
2269
1727
319%
PAN2.3
9.5
7.2
319%
41
452
1445
1404
3453%
! 988
536
119%
113
860
746
658%
• 28
956
1 929
3371%
30
325
295
998%
2.3
178.8
176.5
7689%
0.3
50.3
50.0
17368%
Zn 0.6
0.2
108.2
107.6
18336%
88.3
88.1
43412%
0.5
1.6
1.1
239%
Na 173.6
355.2
181.6
105%
• H mm 7.5
0.6
7.5
0.5
0.0
0%
-0.1
-16%
Lagoon Name: TART
Sample Date
TART
Parameter 3/17/2018
3/17 - 4/13
TART-2
4/13/2018
Difference
% change
541
2.3
41
1153
612
113%
4.8
2.6
113%
400
360
885%
452
931
479
106%
113
• 28
270
157
138%
303
276
1002%
30
2.3
114
85
286%
48.3
46.0
2003%
0.3
0.6
14.2
13.9
4833%
28.0
27.5
4678%
0.2
23.6
23.4
11543%
0.5
1.2
0.8
163%
173.6
265.9
92.3
53%
• 7.5
7.7
0.2
3%
0.6
0.1
-0.5
-82%

Lagoon Sampling —April 13, 2018
Page 3
As a result of initial evaluation of the sampling results the Division will be conducting additional evaluation
of historic data at your farms and at the other farms that were sampled on April 13, 2018. It is necessary to
further investigate the unusual changes in lagoon characteristics between March 17 and April 13, 2018.
To assist in the investigation nlease provide the following to the Wilmington Regional Office no later than
July 3.2018.
• Results of the last 2 years of sludge survey, including information on who conducted the survey.
• Records of any sludge removal that occurred between March 17 and April 14, 2018.
• Any operational changes that may have contributed to the lagoon characteristics between March
17 and April 13, 2017.
• Results of any additional lagoon waste analysis for the lagoon in question conducted since March
17,2018
Please contact the Wilmington Regional Office at [phone] or Christine Lawson at (919) 807- 6354
if you have further questions.
Sincerely,
J� on Ri and
Chief, Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Division of Water Resources
Enclosure
cc: Wilmington WQROS Regional Supervisor
WQROS Central Files