CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – The state Department of Environmental Quality has issued four violations against a hog farm after waste made its way into a Craven County creek.

The DEQ on May 1st told people to keep clear of the creek. Today that advisory was lifted.

In a letter to St. John Farm, state environmental officials said they are considering civil penalties against the company.

DEQ says it found hog waste in a ditch near the farm, and that the runoff traveled over a mile before it got into Swift Creek. Sampling found hog waste in the creek’s surface water.

The state says the company never notified them of the spill, which is required in its permit. It also says the irrigation fields need maintenance, and the vegetative cover in the sprayfields needs improvement.

DEQ says the company’s irrigation sprinklers “ran for an extended period of time saturating the field,” according to the letter.

The company was given 10 days to respond to the letter which was dated May 9th.

Swift Creek flows into the Neuse River near New Bern.