In South Dakota the Big Sioux River is a toxic shit hole and is considered one of the most polluted in the US frequently ranked in the top 10 to 15 for toxic releases. Roughly 75-80% of the river is classified as impaired, with excessive E. coli bacteria and sediment from agricultural runoff, along with urban waste, making it unsafe for swimming.
Smithfield gets a wrist-slap from South Dakota's Republican-owned Department of Aggravation and Natural Ruination nearly every year for discharging toxic pollution into the Big Sioux River but it is usually a measly sum. Smithfield Foods has historically been the leading industrial polluter of the Big Sioux River, though it was recently overtaken by Wharf Resources gold mine as the state's top toxic releaser.
Pollutants include but not limited to: 1. Refrigeration Chemicals (Very Common, High Risk) 2. Cleaning & Sanitation Chemicals (Long-Term Soil Impact) 3. Fuel Storage & Petroleum Products (Very Common Superfund Trigger) 4. Rendering & Waste Disposal Residues 5. Heavy Metals (Building & Equipment Related) 6. Asbestos (Extremely Likely in 100-Year-Old Facility) 7. PCBs (Mid-Century Electrical Equipment) 8. Nitrites & Nitrates (From Curing Operations) 9. Smokehouses & Combustion Residues 10. Pesticides & Rodenticides
A site becomes a Superfund site when: contamination is significant, there is groundwater impact, there is off-site migration and responsible parties cannot fund cleanup. A slaughterhouse alone doesn’t automatically equal Superfund, but: the biggest Superfund triggers in this type of facility would be leaking underground fuel tanks, PCB contamination, large-scale petroleum contamination, significant groundwater nitrate pollution, industrial ammonia system leaks and buried waste lagoons.
- Nitrate & Ammonia Legacy: Historically, the plant was the state’s largest toxic chemical emitter, primarily due to nitrates released into the Big Sioux River. While a $45 million wastewater upgrade in 2023 reduced these emissions by 77%, the legacy of over 5 million pounds of waste annually (recorded as recently as 2021) suggests significant soil and riverbed impact to be addressed.
- The "Sanford District" Transformation: City officials plan to turn the remediated site into a "whole other downtown" extension called the Sanford District.
- Timeline: Redevelopment is not expected to begin in earnest until at least 2030, after the new plant is operational and the old one is demolished. While not currently a Superfund site, its 100+ year history aligns with the triggers you noted:
- Structural Hazards: Given its 1909 origin, asbestos and lead-based paint are highly probable in the demolition phase.
- Chemical Spikes: The facility has faced past fines for massive ammonia violations (over 20 times the daily limit), indicating the high risk of the refrigeration systems you mentioned.
- Groundwater & Soil: The sheer volume of wastewater (3 million gallons per day) and the concentration of nitrate compounds pose a risk of long-term soil contamination that the $50 million cleanup fund is intended to resolve.
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