Manchester, Iowa-Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources investigators are blaming improper feedlot manure storage and management for the deaths of nearly 26,000 fish in the northeast part of the state. Their investigations, which began in the third week of September, found two separate fish kills along stretches of the North Fork of the Maquoketa River in northeast Iowa near Luxemburg and New Vienna. The DNR teams have identified manure washed into the stream by heavy rainfalls as the most likely cause. Preliminary estimates by the fisheries section indicate that 25,727 fish were killed in an area that covered 6.42 miles. Tom McCarthy, senior environmental specialist, told Green Markets that the south part of the fish kill was traced to an open and confinement lot and the north part was likely from multiple feedlots. “Land application of manure was not involved,” McCarthy reported. “But improper feedlot manure storage and management was the problem.” He said legal action is being considered on the south part of the fish kill.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain