The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is being asked to impose an injunction on 83 chicken farms in Accomack County.
The three page letter was sent by five residents of the Virginia Eastern Shore.
And a copy of the letter was also sent to Governor Ralph Northam.
The group is asking that there be an immediate injunction on any current and future groundwater taken from the Upper or Middle Yorktown aquifer until the chicken operations receive groundwater permits.
The Salisbury Daily times reports that Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc., called any such action catastrophic because it would deprive the chickens of water.
At issue is the 300-thousand gallon-per-month threshold that requires a groundwater permit.
And the paper reports that a facility that is as large as 66 feet by 600 feet would exceed that limit.
