Special to the WJH
A new court hearing regarding the controversial chicken house operation proposed near the Satilla River in Coffee County has been scheduled for September 29 at the Coffee County Courthouse. The initial Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the operation expired Tuesday, August 12, but Judge Kelly Brooks extended it until the upcoming hearing date. The plant, planned to be built alongside the Satilla River, has drawn strong opposition from local residents and environmental advocates.
Concerns center on the potential environmental impact to the river and surrounding communities. Shannon Gregory, Sa t illa Riverkeeper, has addressed environmental risks of the operation before local governmental bodies including the Waycross City Commission.
The proposed project would consist of 60 chicken houses spread across more than 1,000 acres, with the capacity to raise up to three million chickens at a time.
That scale would make it twice as large as Georgia’s current biggest poultry farm, which operates 32 houses.
