DNR investigates manure spill near Doon, updates investigation into ‘blue liquid’ and other accidents

A broken house coupling caused several thousand gallons of manure to spill two miles southeast of Winding Meadows Dairy in Rock Valley in far northwest Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday that the spill was blocked by earthen embankments, but some of it made its way into an unnamed tributary of the Rock River.

The DNR press release said the flow in the creek was very low, no fish were sighted and there were no impacts to the Rock River.

The leak occurred when Jochum Agri-Service was spreading fertilizer on a field.

Mysterious blue liquid near East Nishnabotna River contained human excrement

A puddle of light blue liquid in a bay near the West Branch of the East Nishnabotna River in southwest Iowa was first observed on August 11 and is still being investigated by the DNR.

Kristi Burg, an environmental specialist with the DNR’s Atlantic field office, said lab results from the blue water samples showed the toxin was of human origin.

Burg said the sample came back positive for paracetamol, ibuprofen and caffeine. Burg said these substances only come from human excrement, not from livestock or fertilizer runoff.

The compounds detected would not cause the water to turn blue, but knowing that the water came from a human source helps the department narrow its focus.

“Even if you take out the color, it’s human waste,” Burg said. “We’re trying to figure out what would be blue.”

There are various theories circulating – perhaps a portable toilet leaked – but Burg said none of them have been proven or disproven so far.

The spill report was made 11 days after the blue liquid was first observed, meaning some of the substance likely entered the river before DNR and City of Oakland personnel arrived.

Burg urged the public with information about the spill to contact the Atlantic Field Office at 712-243-1934.

Sewage leak from Nashua into the Cedar River

A temporary sewer line was installed shortly after a leak in the pressure main was reported to the DNR on September 18. Sewage has stopped flowing into the Cedar River and repairs to the main line are underway.

It is unknown how long the leak was present or how much wastewater entered the river. Andrea Errthum, the DNR environmental specialist involved in the investigation, said no fish kills were observed in the incident.

Nick Henningsen, director of the Nashua Water and Sewer Department, said Monday that the temporary line is still in use while construction crews work to repair the line. He did not give an estimated time for the project to be completed.

Mysterious fish deaths in a stream in northeast Iowa still remain a mystery

In July, there were approximately 40,000 dead fish in a section of Crane Creek for unknown reasons.

A similar situation occurred a year earlier, when 1,500 fish died at the same location on the creek, downstream of the intersection with 250th Street in Bremer County.

Errthum said the agency is still investigating the cause of the fish kills and is working with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on the investigation.

This article first appeared in Iowa Capital Shipping.