DeKALB | The DeKalb Sanitary District is trying to clean up some murky rumors about Cavel International Inc.

Residents presented their concerns about Cavel and the pharmaceuticals sometimes present in horses slaughtered there at Wednesday’s DeKalb Sanitary District meeting.

Sycamore residents Angela Valianos and Dawn Mancina presented the board with a packet of research outlining the various pharmaceuticals that could be present in horses slaughtered in the Cavel plant.

Valianos and Mancina said they were concerned with the chemicals – many dangerous to humans – going into the Kishwaukee River.

Their main concern is the lack of disclosure relating to the chemicals. The residents said the community should know what drugs are potentially infesting the water in the area and said Cavel is in violation of its Industrial User Discharge permit by not disclosing these drugs.

“There are specific items on Cavel’s permit, but these items were not part of this permit,” Valianos said.

The DeKalb Sanitary District representatives explained the waste from Cavel enters the water treatment plant at the sanitary district and mixes with the other community waste from other businesses, homes, etc.

It then goes through treatment at the facility and is discharged back into the Kishwaukee River. They said no public water is pulled from the Kishwaukee River, the public water supply comes from wells.

The sanitary district said it does not regulate rules for horse slaughtering, only waste regulation.

“Until the [United States Environmental Protection Agency], in concert perhaps with their scientists and the [United States Department of Agriculture], determine what levels of any given chemical needs to be attained or waste has to be reduced to, I don’t see where there is anything we can do about this. I think the authority that really has to address this is the USDA in concert with the USEPA,” said Michael Zima, manager of DeKalb Sanitary District.