16-05-2025
After hearing, Arkansas company commits to timeline to shut down waste lagoon in Van Buren
A dredge works on the Denali waste lagoon in Van Buren. (Photo obtained from Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality files)
Russellville-based Denali announced Friday that it will stop depositing waste from chicken processing facilities in its Van Buren lagoon by the end of 2025.
The announcement came after dozens of Fort Smith-area residents spoke at a public hearing held by the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality Thursday evening. Both residents and elected officials described how odors from the lagoon, and from Denali's land application operations, had negatively affected their lives and businesses, and the region as a whole.
'Denali will discontinue bringing material to the storage facility this year,' Denali CEO Todd Mathes said in an emailed press release.
'Disposition of the material at the site will be determined after Dec. 31, 2025. Denali is currently executing its long-term plan for alternative storage capacity and long-term infrastructure solutions throughout the region, which will allow for the closure of the open-air facility in Crawford County,' Mathes said. 'Working with regulatory officials to obtain permits and permit modifications are required in order to completely close the storage facility in a timely manner.'
Denali told the Advocate earlier this month that 'we have not committed to an exact date,' citing the need to obtain additional storage and permits.
Denali said it would provide notifications to local officials before the lagoon is cleaned out. A previous clean-out of millions of gallons of sludge from the lagoon in 2024 led to dozens of complaints about odor to DEQ from Fort Smith residents.
However, the waste recycling company emphasized that Sebastian and Crawford counties remained 'important operational areas' for Denali due to the number of food processors in the region.
The press release did not address concerns of some critics about the volume of waste being applied to fields in the area nor how land applications were affecting residents living nearby.
Crawford County has one of the highest number of land application permits in the state, with at least eight. Most of the Crawford County permits are held by Denali. HydroAg Environmental is another permit holder.
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