A Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) unit has agreed to pay $2 million in civil penalties to settle allegations that it failed to properly operate a waste treatment system at a Nebraska meat-processing facility, the Justice Department announced.

The department alleged that the waste treatment lapses took place at a Tyson Fresh Meats facility in Dakota City, Neb., and resulted in toxic discharges into the Missouri River.

Authorities said the Tyson facility violated a federal pollution-discharge permit and a 2002 consent decree that required the facility to improve its waste treatment.

The violations took place from July 2003 through March 2004, the department said.

-By Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9222; brent.kendall@dowjones.com