According to news reports, the proposed House of Raeford broiler plant is unlikely to proceed in the selected location in South Carolina. The Aiken City Council has declined to change an ordinance to approve the facility. The problem relates to available wastewater treatment capacity. According to the County Council, the City of Aiken can process a maximum of 500,000 gallons of additional capacity per day with the proposed plant requiring 1.7 million gallons using current wastewater treatment technology.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, is in favor of the project based on job creation and the substantial economic impact. He noted, “I am committed to assist in identifying state funding to help address water and sewer infrastructure so that Aiken County will accommodate both the House of Raeford plant and to have sufficient capacity for future growth.”
The discrepancy between available wastewater processing capacity in Aiken County and the needs of House of Raeford should have eliminated the location for a proposed plant in the initial site evaluation. Failure to identify this preeminent restraint suggests a lack of coordination in conducting the preliminary feasibility study.
The need for a new plant is indicated by the age of the West Columbia plant erected in 1959 and acquired by Raeford in 1998. The location in an area undergoing gentrification is now inconsistent with the community and is engendering opposition to its presence based on odor and depression of property values.