Over 100,000 gallons of manure flow into creek

BLAIRSTOWN – A broken pipe at a dairy farm sent over 100,000 gallons of manure into an unnamed tributary of Coon Creek, which runs into the Iowa River, the Department of Natural resources said.

Sue Miller, a DNR environmental specialist, said a crew digging a trench at Cedar Valley Farms south of Blairstown nicked a pipe that was part of an underground system that recycles waste from cattle bedding, which sent the manure into the tributary.

When discovered at 7 a.m. Thursday, Cedar Valley Farms shut off the pump and built sand dams around the spill site. The spill has been contained to Coon Creek in Benton and Iowa counties.

Miller said the DNR has two pumps in the river, which are transporting the manure to a hayfield, where it will be applied on the land. She says the agency hopes to remove all of the manure within a few days.

The spill killed an unknown number of fish, but Miller said she does not expect it to do much long-term damage to the creek's ecosystem.

“Nature's got a wonderful way of fixing itself,” she said.

The DNR recommends keeping livestock out of Coon Creek until the water is safe to drink. It says it has collected samples, and that enforcement action is expected.

Wendy Barth, an Iowa CCI member from Cedar Rapids, said in a release that this is the chance for Bill Ehm, the DNR's new chief to prove that he will be tough on farm polluters.

The group is calling for maximum fines to be leveled on the farm.