Dubuque County dairy fined for manure overflow

The owner of a small northeast Iowa dairy recently agreed to pay $1,260 for contaminating a nearby creek with an unknown amount of manure a year ago, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Someone reported to the department in May 2024 that manure from the dairy's concrete containment structure northeast of Dyersville was polluting a tributary of the Little Maquoketa River.

"The caller stated the discharge had been occurring for some time but was getting worse lately," a recent DNR order said.

The open feedlot dairy, operated by Joseph Davidshofer, has about 145 dairy cows and 30 calves, the order said. It is subject to less state oversight because it is relatively small.

But no livestock operation is allowed to discharge into such streams without a permit. A DNR officer who investigated the complaint found evidence the containment structure had overflowed and that there was a stockpile of manure-laden debris too close to the stream.

The pile was about 40 feet from the stream, whereas state rules require those piles to be 400 feet away — to help prevent contaminated stormwater from reaching streams.

The officer's tests of nearby stream water revealed elevated levels of ammonia, which indicates manure contamination. It was foamy and smelled strongly of manure, the DNR order said.

One of Davidshofer's children told the department they had been unable pump manure out of the containment structure because of recent rainfall that had made the area too wet for heavy equipment.

In a recent agreement with the DNR, Davidshofer said he would move the stockpile and develop a plan to avoid further stream contamination. He also paid the fine, DNR records show.

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