Odor leads to illegal dung depot

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man stockpiled 20,000 cubic yards of horse manure on his property and was charged with running an illegal composting operation, environmental regulators said on Wednesday.

Neighbors complained about the odor wafting from Walter Duque's property in the rural community of Loxahatchee, where several acres were covered with manure piles up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) high, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.

Investigators suspect Duque had been accepting dump truck loads of horse manure from nearby equestrian communities in Palm Beach County, agency spokesman Stephen Webster said. They issued three misdemeanor citations for violations punishable by up to 18 months in jail and $30,000 in fines.

Florida requires special permits for composting and storing horse manure and regularly inspects the operations to ensure ground water is not polluted, Webster said.