Several hundred thousand gallons of manure spilled into a Lyon County creek Wednesday and, in a separate incident on the same day, another 10,000 gallons of manure also spilled into a Kossuth County creek that flows into the Des Moines River.
In Rock Rapids, Bernie Baker of Rock Bottom Dairy reported spilling "several hundred thousand gallons of manure" after "an irrigation unit became stuck," according to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources news release Wednesday evening.
The manure flowed through fields, which included cover crops or pasture, before it eventually flowed northwest of Rock Rapids and into Mud Creek, according to the DNR. When DNR staff arrived at the creek at about 3:20 p.m., "many dead fish," including bullheads, minnows and chubs, were found on the scene.
Due to the creek's slow flow rates, the manure-laden water is moving slowly downstream, according to the release, and the DNR recommends those who depend on the creek as a water source, such as livestock producers, should monitor conditions for the next few days.
DNR staff helped stop the spill and plan to continue to monitor the clean-up and assess how many fish were killed, according to the release.
Separately Wednesday afternoon, the DNR responded to a spill of 10,000 gallons of manure into Kossuth County's Lotts Creek, which is about two miles northeast of West Bend.
► More:Agricultural runoff puts Iowa's Raccoon River on list of 10 most endangered nationally, group says
As Precision Pumping, a commercial manure application company, was applying manure in the area through an umbilical rig, a hose detached from its pump and "flopped" into the creek, spilling thousands of gallons of manure into the creek before the pump could be shut down, according to the DNR.
A large number of dead fish were discovered as a result of the Kossuth County spill, as well.
DNR officials said recovering the manure, which was flowing downstream, would be "impractical" due to the creek's high banks, wide channel and swift flow. About 10 miles downstream of the spill, Lotts Creek flows into the East Fork of the Des Moines River.
"While not insignificant, the spill is not expected to impact downstream water supplies," DNR officials wrote in the release, adding that the department's environmental specialists are testing water samples.
According to the release, the DNR is considering "appropriate enforcement action," but did not specify what those actions might entail.
Cindy Martens of the DNR, the media contact for the Lyon County spill, said that Rock Bottom Dairy will receive a violation with referral and penalty. The media contact for the Kossuth County incident could not immediately be reached for comment.
“We’re sounding the alarm because pollution in the Raccoon River is putting drinking water supplies and public health at risk,” said Olivia Dorothy, American Rivers' Upper Mississippi River Basin director.
The Racoon River ranked ninth on American Rivers' list, which claimed that manure runoff "contributes to a clean-water crisis."
High nitrate levels remain an issue for water quality in Iowa, as well as other pollutants such as microcystins, which are toxins from blue-green algae blooms.
Community activists have spoken out against the amount of manure flowing into Iowa's water system, as well.
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In Rock Rapids, Bernie Baker of Rock Bottom Dairy reported spilling "several hundred thousand gallons of manure" after "an irrigation unit became stuck," according to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources news release Wednesday evening.
The manure flowed through fields, which included cover crops or pasture, before it eventually flowed northwest of Rock Rapids and into Mud Creek, according to the DNR. When DNR staff arrived at the creek at about 3:20 p.m., "many dead fish," including bullheads, minnows and chubs, were found on the scene.
Due to the creek's slow flow rates, the manure-laden water is moving slowly downstream, according to the release, and the DNR recommends those who depend on the creek as a water source, such as livestock producers, should monitor conditions for the next few days.
DNR staff helped stop the spill and plan to continue to monitor the clean-up and assess how many fish were killed, according to the release.
Separately Wednesday afternoon, the DNR responded to a spill of 10,000 gallons of manure into Kossuth County's Lotts Creek, which is about two miles northeast of West Bend.
► More:Agricultural runoff puts Iowa's Raccoon River on list of 10 most endangered nationally, group says
As Precision Pumping, a commercial manure application company, was applying manure in the area through an umbilical rig, a hose detached from its pump and "flopped" into the creek, spilling thousands of gallons of manure into the creek before the pump could be shut down, according to the DNR.
A large number of dead fish were discovered as a result of the Kossuth County spill, as well.
DNR officials said recovering the manure, which was flowing downstream, would be "impractical" due to the creek's high banks, wide channel and swift flow. About 10 miles downstream of the spill, Lotts Creek flows into the East Fork of the Des Moines River.
"While not insignificant, the spill is not expected to impact downstream water supplies," DNR officials wrote in the release, adding that the department's environmental specialists are testing water samples.
According to the release, the DNR is considering "appropriate enforcement action," but did not specify what those actions might entail.
Cindy Martens of the DNR, the media contact for the Lyon County spill, said that Rock Bottom Dairy will receive a violation with referral and penalty. The media contact for the Kossuth County incident could not immediately be reached for comment.
Manure spillage comes at the heel of new report warning Iowa of pollutants in Racoon River
In an annual report published by American Rivers, an environmental advocacy nonprofit based in D.C., the group listed Iowa's Racoon River as among the top 10 most endangered rivers for the first time due to runoff from livestock facilities, such as manure, and farm fields.“We’re sounding the alarm because pollution in the Raccoon River is putting drinking water supplies and public health at risk,” said Olivia Dorothy, American Rivers' Upper Mississippi River Basin director.
The Racoon River ranked ninth on American Rivers' list, which claimed that manure runoff "contributes to a clean-water crisis."
High nitrate levels remain an issue for water quality in Iowa, as well as other pollutants such as microcystins, which are toxins from blue-green algae blooms.
Community activists have spoken out against the amount of manure flowing into Iowa's water system, as well.
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Hundreds of thousands of gallons of manure spill into a pair of northwest Iowa creeks, DNR officials report
The manure spilled into waterways in Kossuth County and Lyon County Wednesday, according to an Iowa DNR news release.
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