Race track settles with feds for manure, urine discharges

FILE – In this Oct. 11, 2010 file photo, a horse makes his way through the early morning fog at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Federal prosecutors say the owners of the horse racing track in New Orleans have agreed to pay a $2.8 million penalty for letting horse manure and urine into the city’s drainage system for at least six years and to spend twice that on ending the discharges. The U.S. Justice Department described the fine to be paid by Churchill Downs Inc. as the largest ever paid by a “concentrated animal feeding” operation under the Clean Water Act, news outlets reported. (AP Photo/Alexander Barkoff, File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Sep 30, 2020 / 12:52 PM EDT

Updated: Sep 30, 2020 / 12:52 PM EDT

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors say the owners of the horse racing track in New Orleans have agreed to pay a $2.8 million penalty for letting horse manure and urine into the city’s drainage system.

News outlets report that Churchill Downs Inc. also has agreed to spend $5.6 million on changes to keep untreated wastewater out of the system.

The U.S. Justice Department says the fine is the largest ever paid by a “concentrated animal feeding” operation under the Clean Water Act.

The Kentucky-based company says it has worked hard with regulators to find way to deal with wastewater and stormwater drainage.