Wynja Feedlot Settlement Information Sheet
On November 17th, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice reached a settlement agreement with Wynja Feedlot, Inc. to address violations under the Clean Water Act related to discharges from a concentrated animal feeding operation. The company will pay a civil penalty and take actions to prevent unauthorized discharges to a tributary to the Floyd River in Iowa. This action will result in improved water quality for the community that lives and recreates in and around the West Branch of the Floyd River.
- Overview of Wynja Feedlot, Inc.
- Summary of CWA Violations
- Health Effects and Environmental Benefits
- Summary of Consent Decree
- Comment Period
- Contact Information
Overview of Company
Wynja Feedlot, Inc., located in Orange City, Iowa, operates a large concentrated animal feeding operation in northwest Iowa. The facility, which confines beef cattle as they are being fed to market weight, includes open lots with a design capacity of 999 cattle, a deep-pit confinement barn with a design capacity of 999 cattle, feedstock storage areas, manure storage areas, and a solids-settling area.
Summary of CWA Violations
During a March 2021 inspection, EPA discovered process wastewater from the facility discharging through a drainage pipe to a relatively permanent tributary along the southern boundary of the facility to the West Branch of the Floyd River. The West Branch of the River is a relatively permanent water that flows into the Floyd River, a traditional navigable water.
Water sampling results showed that the wastewater from the facility contained high levels of pollutants such as bacteria, ammonia, chlorides, and unprocessed organic matter and that these pollutants were degrading the quality of the water downstream. This discharge occurred without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit in violation of section 301 of the Clean Water Act. The facility admitted that the discharge observed by EPA occurred during three consecutive days in March 2021.
In addition to the discharge pipe, the facility had limited wastewater containment. Based on modeling conducted by EPA, further unauthorized discharges would occur during large storm events.
Health Effects and Environmental Benefits
Water quality impairment from polluted water discharged by CAFOs affects Iowans’ ability to use rivers and streams for fishing, boating, swimming, and other forms of primary and secondary contact recreation. Pollutants such as the ammonia in Wynja Feedlot’s unauthorized discharges are toxic to aquatic life, while disease-causing bacteria can make waterbodies unsafe for recreation. The West Branch of the Floyd River, which flows into the Missouri River, is listed as impaired by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources due to failed bio-assessments and multiple fish kills. Addressing this impairment by requiring Wynja Feedlot to obtain an NPDES permit and build adequate containment improves water quality for the community that lives and recreates in and around the West Branch of the Floyd River.
EPA estimates that the company’s actions required in this settlement agreement will prevent 4.5 million gallons of wastewater per year from entering the Floyd River and its tributaries. This will result in a total pollutant reduction value of approximately 137,000 pounds per year, consisting of:
66,000 pounds of total suspended solids.
54,000 pounds of chemical oxygen demand.
11,000 pounds of five-day biological oxygen demand.
3,000 pounds of nitrogen, 1,100 pounds of phosphorus, and 2,300 pounds of potassium.
There will also be a significant reduction in the amount of harmful bacteria and other pathogens entering these waterbodies.
Summary of Consent Decree
Under the settlement agreement, Wynja Feedlot agreed to take actions to cease unauthorized discharges and achieve compliance with the CWA, including:
Applying for an NPDES permit.
Constructing a lined containment basin to contain process wastewater.
Sampling a drainage pipe for pollutants, including ammonia, nitrate-nitrite, chlorides, and bacteria.
Wynja Feedlot has already applied for the NPDES permit and received a construction permit for the basin. When completed, the basin will have sufficient volume to contain runoff from up to a 25-year, 24-hour rain event.
Wynja Feedlot will pay a civil penalty of $20,000, mitigated by a documented claim of limited ability to pay.
Comment Period
The proposed settlement, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, is subject to a minimum 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment is available on DOJ’s Draft Consent Decrees webpage.
Contact Information
For more information, contact:
Natasha Goss
Attorney-Advisor
Office of Regional Counsel
Region 7
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Goss.Natasha@epa.gov
Erandi Ratnayake
Kristin Terry
Attorney-Advisors
Water Enforcement Division
Office of Civil Enforcement
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ratnayake.Erandi@epa.gov
Terry.Kristin@epa.gov