Eight environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency to force them to better enforce Clean Water Act standards as it relates to wastewater from livestock processing plants. Environmental Integrity Act Executive Director Eric Schaeffer says they found some processors have been discharging wastewater into important water sources.

He says the EPA has not brought their Clean Water Act enforcement actions up to date.

Schaeffer says their goal is to get the EPA to heighten their standards and enforcement of wastewater dischargers.

Schaeffer says their review of processing plants found that 60 of the 98 plants they looked at released their wastewater to rivers, streams and other waterways that are impaired because of the main pollutants found in that wastewater.