A group of residents and businesses in Coffee County, Georgia, has filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing the development of a large-scale poultry complex they believe will damage local waterways and diminish their quality of life.
The case, brought before the county’s Superior Court, targets a 1,000-acre tract that is split among seven farming entities but is expected to function as a single operation. If completed, the interconnected farms would collectively include 60 poultry houses capable of holding up to 3 million birds at any given time, making it one of the largest chicken operations east of the Mississippi River.
According to the plaintiffs, the site sits uncomfortably close to neighboring properties and lies within the 50- and 100-year floodplains of the Satilla River. They claim that the anticipated disposal of deceased birds and the accumulation of poultry waste could introduce pollutants that would threaten public health, property values, and the surrounding ecosystem.
The lawsuit seeks a court order to block the project’s construction, along with compensation for legal costs and any additional remedies the court considers appropriate.
