City of Boise officials have threatened to revoke Darigold's sewer permit if the dairy giant does not get into compliance, giving the company a deadline of mid-January 2027 to fix the problems. Darigold has racked up many violations over the past few years and has only been in compliance for six months since 2021.
The threat was detailed in an exclusive report from Boise State Public Radio, where reporter George Prentice joined the station's Idaho Matters program to lay out the compliance history behind the city's ultimatum. The station's reporting is the only account currently detailing the sewer-permit threat and the mid-January 2027 compliance deadline.
A History of Wastewater Trouble at the Allumbaugh Street Plant
This is not the first time Darigold's Boise facility, located at 618 N. Allumbaugh St., has drawn scrutiny over its wastewater handling. A wastewater issue at the plant previously caused an unpleasant odor that prompted a complaint to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality near the I-184 Connector, according to the Idaho Statesman.
DEQ officials said at the time that something had overwhelmed the wastewater treatment plant, essentially causing the system to break down, and a DEQ representative said it could take weeks for the system to return to normal. Darigold spokesman Chris Arnold said then that all wastewater containment systems at the facility were functioning properly and the wastewater was contained. The Statesman also reported that the plant was found to be in compliance with air quality rules when a DEQ official visited the facility the previous week.
Why Boise Regulates Industrial Wastewater
Boise has regulated industrial and commercial wastewater discharged into its water renewal system since 1985, according to the City of Boise. The city says its EPA-approved Pretreatment Program exists to help local businesses understand and meet state and federal pollution-control requirements, the framework under which Darigold's current compliance deadline now falls.
Past Settlements Show a Pattern of Enforcement
Darigold's Boise operations have faced enforcement action before. The company agreed to pay $318,000 over alleged E. coli-related discharges, settling without acknowledging or denying guilt, according to an Idaho Press report republished by Newsbreak. Those alleged discharges of evaporated whey condensate and contaminated stormwater reportedly occurred between September 2018 and April 2022.
Separately, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency document concerning Darigold's Caldwell facility alleges deficiencies in a stormwater pollution prevention plan, including a site map the agency says was illegible and failed to identify the locations of all stormwater-control measures and monitoring points. That matter involves a different Darigold location and remains a set of allegations rather than a final determination.
A Costlier Settlement in Washington State
Darigold's compliance troubles have extended well beyond Idaho. The company agreed to pay the Yakama Nation $2 million to settle a Clean Water Act lawsuit tied to its Sunnyside, Washington, plant, which processes 7.7 million pounds of milk a day, according to Capital Press. As part of that settlement, Darigold also agreed to pay Columbia Riverkeeper $141,580 for litigation costs.
It remains unclear whether Darigold will meet Boise's mid-January 2027 compliance deadline or what action the city might take if it does not. No Darigold response to the current Boise sewer-permit threat has been made public.
