Harrisburg, PA (JK) – A Carlisle-based agricultural hauling company and its owner are facing criminal charges after authorities say an unreported fertilizer-related spill contaminated drinking water supplies in Franklin County.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that Jones Manure Hauling LLP and owner Jesse Jones were charged this week following an investigation into a June 30, 2021 spill at Barr Farm near Greencastle.
According to investigators, Food Processing Residuals (FPR) spilled when a hose ruptured during a transfer from a company truck to a storage pit on the farm. FPR is a fertilizer material made from organic waste products, including animal processing byproducts.
Authorities allege the company failed to notify the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection about the spill, despite reporting requirements under state law. Residents living nearby soon complained that their drinking water had a strong odor resembling decomposing animals and manure.
DEP later determined the spill contaminated local drinking water supplies, which investigators say remain affected.
The Office of Attorney General received the case in 2023 and has now charged Jones and the company with a felony count of unlawful conduct under the Clean Streams Act, along with related misdemeanor offenses.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section. As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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