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84,000 gallons of hog waste spilled into tributary of Duplin County creek

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published February 24, 2025 at 6:16 AM EST
France has banned imports of live pigs and other products from the U.S. to keep out a virus that has killed more than 4 million pigs in the U.S. Here, young pigs look out of a pen at a North Dakota hog farm in a 2005 file photo.
Will Kincaid
/
AP
Here, young pigs look out of a pen at a North Dakota hog farm in a 2005 file photo.

Tens of thousands of gallons of hog waste escaped from a Duplin County hog farm just over a week ago.

The Department of Environmental Quality said about 84,000 gallons of waste entered a tributary of Doctors Creek.

Officials say an equipment malfunction at Murphy-Brown farm on Kenan Loop Road near Wallace led to the spill.

The company removed waste from the creek, putting it back into a secondary lagoon at the farm, and the DEQ will continue to monitor water quality in the area.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston