Northwest Iowa — Unsurprisingly, this wet weather that we’ve been having has caused a number of manure runoff accidents in recent days.
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, DNR field offices are investigating four manure runoffs in Lyon and Sioux counties in relation to a weather system dropping heavy rainfall totals that moved through the northern and northwest part of the state late last week.
The DNR says that manure was reported overflowing a berm of a manure basin at Bar-K Cattle near Sioux Center. DNR staff observed the small discharge entering Six Mile Creek but they say it was quickly dissipating as it entered. No fish were observed killed from the manure overflow into the creek. The owner of Bar-K Cattle set up a pump to transfer the excess manure to a second basin and stopped the discharge.
In the second incident, they say manure was reported overflowing a berm of a manure basin at Rock River Feedyards, four miles west of Rock Rapids. DNR staff did not observe manure discharging to a water source.
The third incident was only 2.5 miles east, where manure was reportedly trickling over a berm at Jansma Cattle Company near Rock Rapids. DNR staff on-site determined the manure had discharged to a tributary of Rock River but the discharge has since stopped. DNR staff did not observe any fish killed from the discharge.
In the fourth incident, DNR staff say that manure-laden water was reportedly discharging from a storage basin at Mike’s Wash Out, a livestock trailer wash facility near Granville. It was also reported that some of the manure had entered a nearby water source. When DNR staff arrived the discharge was no longer happening and staff observed no fish had been killed.
The DNR says their staff will continue to investigate these incidents and determine any enforcement actions.
