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Residents raise concerns about River View Farms egg-washing plant as engineers review wastewater impacts
Summary
Residents at the Nov. 5 Orleans work session voiced concerns about traffic, odors, lighting, runoff and property values tied to a proposed River View Farms egg-washing facility on SR 337; town engineers said the plant’s wastewater may require additional treatment under the town’s IDEM Agreed Order and are evaluating needed upgrades.
At its Nov. 5 work session, the Orleans Town Council heard multiple residents raise objections to a proposed egg-washing facility that River View Farms plans to locate on the east side of town along SR 337.
Several attendees told the council they were worried the plant would increase traffic, bring brighter lighting and offensive odors, worsen stormwater runoff and lower nearby property values. The concerns were presented during the public-comment portion of the work session and were recorded in the meeting minutes; no formal vote was taken on the project.
Council members noted the site was annexed into the town in 2004 and was designated as a “shovel ready” industrial park at that time. The 2004 annexation ordinance included a provision that the town would provide water and sewer service to qualify the site for the shovel-ready designation, a factor council members and residents said is relevant to the proposed industrial use.
Representatives of Commonwealth Engineers briefed the council on the town’s wastewater-treatment-plant operations and the status of an IDEM Agreed Order currently in place. Engineers told the council that the volume or character of wastewater from the proposed egg-washing facility might require additional treatment before it can be accepted into the town sewer system; staff have begun evaluating whether upgrades would be necessary to comply with the IDEM requirements and to protect the treatment plant’s operations.
The council acknowledged a letter from Bryan Johnson outlining River View Farms’ plan; that correspondence is attached to the official minutes. Town staff said they have communicated with River View Farms’ consultants and that engineers will continue technical review and report back to the council with findings and any recommended next steps.
No formal land-use approval, permit or ordinance action was recorded at the Nov. 5 session. The council did not adopt conditions or a timetable for the project at the meeting; instead, the item remains under technical review and subject to future council consideration.
Next steps recorded in the minutes are limited to staff and engineering follow-up: Commonwealth Engineers and town staff will continue to assess whether wastewater-treatment upgrades are required and will relay those findings to the council for any required permitting, engineering or policy decisions.
