Brewery has wastewater permit suspended until hearing

A permit that has allowed a brewery in Arkansas to store wastewater created at its facility is due to come under review by environmental regulators. The permit is set to be reconsidered in the Autumn after concerns were raised over the possibility that the stored wastewater could affect the water quality of the area and therefore lead to the contamination of drinking water.

Saddlebock Brewing LLC, Springdale - which is one of the first breweries in northwest Arkansas - was originally granted a permit by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) that allowed the company to collect and store its own wastewater at the facility in question. The permit stated that the use of an underground septic system to store the wastewater was allowed.

The ADEQ has currently suspended the brewery's permit until the hearing, meaning that the company now has to collect all of the wastewater above ground. The company must then enlist an approved facility to treat and dispose of the wastewater.

The concerns over the use of an underground storage facility for the company's wastewater were raised by the Beaver Water District. The water district is worried that the underground system could leak and end up polluting the Beaver Lake watershed. The watershed provides the drinking water to a number of northwest Arkansas cities and so contamination could result in the water becoming unsuitable for drinking.

Alan Fortenberry, chief executive of the Beaver Water District, said: "Our concern is anything within the Beaver Lake watershed, anything that has the potential to offer any type of contamination."   

Steven Rehbock, owner of Saddlebock Brewing LLC, has reportedly disposed of the majority of the waste produced by his facility through a local farmer who is using it as feed for his chickens. Mr Rehbock also has the means of enlisting wastewater treatment facilities in the area at extra cost to the business. Despite the extra costs that he could incur if the permit is revoked, Mr Rehbock has said that he will adhere to any decision to ensure that the brewery's waste is dealt with correctly.