Chicken plant pollutes creek feeding into Lake Lanier

A truckload of chickens arrives at the Pilgrim's Pride plan ion Gainesville, Ga.

Credit: Shannon McCaffrey

Credit: Shannon McCaffrey

A truckload of chickens arrives at the Pilgrim's Pride plan ion Gainesville, Ga.

I eat a lot of chicken. It's healthy and relatively cheap. My kids like it. I can grab chicken breasts from the fridge and have dinner ready in about 15 minutes.

So, reporting this story has been an interesting experience It's pulled back the curtain just a bit on an industry that 's a part of my weekly grocery run.

What we uncovered is that the state has been less than aggressive in policing chicken plant waste at a pair of north Georgia plants that slaughter and process millions of birds a week. The bacteria found in chicken feces has found it's way into a creek that feeds into Lake Lanier, a key water source for metro Atlanta.

ajc.com

Credit: Shannon McCaffrey

icon to expand image

Credit: Shannon McCaffrey

Read the full story at MyAJC.com. You can also get a sense of what we found from an interview I did at Georgia Public Broadcasting. I was joined in the studio by Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Jason Ulseth.

Here's a link to the audio of that interview: