Iowa Department of Natural Resources investigates spills, fish kills and other issues affecting Iowa waterways. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
A broken house coupling caused a spill of several thousand gallons of manure two miles southeast of Winding Meadows Dairy in Rock Valley. Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported on Tuesday the spill was blocked by earthen berms, but some made it into an unnamed tributary of Rock River.
The DNR press release said flow in the stream was very low, no fish were observed and there has been no impact to the Rock River.
The leak occurred while Jochum Agri-Service was land applying manure to a field.
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Mysterious blue liquid near East Nishnabotna River contained human waste
A pool of bright blue liquid in an inlet near the west branch of the East Nishnabotna River was first observed Aug. 11, and is still under investigation by DNR.
Kristi Burg, an environmental specialist with the DNR field office in Atlantic, said the lab results of the blue water samples show it was of human origin.
A pool of unidentified, bright blue liquid was found near the East Nishnabotna River in Oakland. (Photo via the Iowa Department of Natural Resources)
Burg said the sample came back with a positive hit for acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and caffeine. Burg said these are all things that would only come from human waste, not from any sort of livestock or fertilizer run off.
The detected compounds would not cause water to turn blue, but knowing the water came from a human source helps the department narrow its focus.
“Even if you take the color out of it, the waste is from humans,” Burg said. “We’re trying to come up with what would be blue.”
There are several circulating theories, like perhaps a spilled portable toilet, but thus far, Burg said none of the theories could be either proved or disproved.
The spill report was made 11 days after the blue liquid was initially observed, meaning it is likely some of the substance ran into the river before DNR and City of Oakland staff arrived.
Burg encouraged folks to contact the Atlantic field office at 712-243-1934 if they have any information on the spill.
Nashua wastewater leak into Cedar River
A temporary sewer line was put in place shortly after a leak in the force main was reported to DNR Sept. 18. Wastewater is no longer flowing into the Cedar River and repairs to the main are in progress.
It is unknown how long the leak was present, and therefore how much wastewater spilled into the river. Andrea Errthum, the DNR environmental specialist working on the investigation, said no fish kills have been observed from the incident.
Nick Henningsen, the Nashua water and wastewater supervisor, said on Monday that the temporary line is in place while the construction crew works to repair the line. He did not provide an estimated time of completion for the project.
Mystery fish kill in northeast Iowa creek – still a mystery
In July, a stretch of Crane Creek had around 40,000 dead fish from an unknown cause.
A similar situation occurred a year earlier when 1,500 fish died around the same point in the creek, downstream from its intersection with 250th Street in Bremer County.
Errthum said the department is still determining a cause for the fish kills and has partnered with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on the investigation.
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