The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expected to ask Iowa’s Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) to refer a March UAN spill (GM March 29, p. 29; March 15, p. 1) to the Iowa Attorney General for enhanced enforcement, according to reports in the Iowa Capital Dispatch and other local media, citing DNR.
DNR’s own administrative fines are reportedly capped at $10,000, but the Attorney General can seek more. Restitution can be sought for the dead fish, which could reportedly be more than $200,000. The EPC may hear the issue as early as May 22.
The agency is reportedly still awaiting more information from NEW Cooperative as to how the spill happened and what has been done to remedy the situation. The co-op has attributed the incident to employee error but declined further comment, according to the Dispatch, and has hired a company to remove contaminated soil.
NEW Cooperative on March 11 notified the DNR of the release from its Red Oak, Iowa, facility. The product was discharged into a drainage ditch, then into the East Nishnabotna River. DNR’s initial investigation found that over 749,000 fish were killed in 49.8 miles of the East Nishnabotna and Nishnabotna Rivers downstream of the spill and ended near the confluence with the Missouri River.
The latest information from DNR is that a valve on a clogged fertilizer line was left open over the weekend. The line then became unclogged and released some 265,000 gallons of UAN-32, which killed almost all the fish and aquatic creatures downstream for about 60 miles.
DNR described the spill as one of the worst river contamination incidents in the state’s history, noting that it was deadly to aquatic life until it reached the Missouri River and was diluted by the larger water flow.