Rock Valley, Iowa — A rural Rock Valley dairy operator has agreed to a fine from the Iowa DNR in regard to a large manure release into a waterway.
Terry Van Maanen operates Winding Meadows Dairy, just into Lyon County. The DNR says they issued a construction permit to Van Maanen for an anaerobic digester system. The system was built by the Gevo company out of Colorado. They process the methane that is captured from the dairy farm’s manure into renewable natural gas to power low-emissions vehicles in California.
The leak happened when they tested the digester. It was later found to be due to one or more control joints that had not been properly sealed. Manure ended up in a tile line that surrounds the digester and discharged to a field and then into Lizard Creek. The documents from the DNR state that over 375,000 gallons of manure were discharged and that the construction certification was not submitted before manure was added to the digester.
Van Maanen will have to pay a $10,000 administrative penalty.
