TUCKER, GA. — The US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) recently awarded a Tyson Foods facility and a Wayne-Sanderson Farms facility the 2023 Clean Water Award.

The annual accolade recognizes poultry facilities that excel in commitments to sustainable wastewater treatment, identify water reuse opportunities and implement initiatives to advance overall sustainability in the facility.

“The applicants for this year’s Clean Water Awards highlight the commitment our industry makes to being good stewards of our environment and the natural resources to which we have been entrusted. Every facility that applied should be commended for demonstrating excellence towards that commitment,” said Jarod Morrison, USPOULTRY chairman. “These awards are the result of continued progress towards efficiency while maintaining a high level of care for the communities in which these facilities operate. Congratulations to this year’s winners.”

The Wayne-Sanderson Farms broiler facility in Tyler, Texas, won the full treatment category. According to information from USPOULTRY, the plant uses 1.4 million gallons of water daily to process 1.3 million chickens per week. Chickens undergo a full biological system using dissolved air flotation, anaerobic and aerobic treatment technology. Fully treated wastewater is then discharged into the Sabine River or applied to land through spray irrigation.

In the pretreatment category, the Tyson Foods further processing facility in Russellville, Ark., received this year’s award. The plant is a par-fry plant originally opened in 1980 to meet the demand for value-added, further processed chicken. According to the association, the wastewater treatment plant uses just under 200,000 gallons of water daily. 

“The city of Russellville’s wastewater effluent specifications are met by treating the wastewater through multiple steps, including flow equalization, screening and dissolved air flotation technology enhanced with chemically aided coagulation and flocculation,” USPOULTRY added.

Honorable mention with distinction awards in the full treatment category were presented to Keystone Foods in Albany, Ky., and Tyson Foods in Union City, Tenn. 

Another honorable mention with distinction award in the pretreatment category was given to Tyson Foods in North Little Rock, Ark.