Spills trigger second, third fish kill in Iowa this week

A hog confinement near Stanley is responsible for dead fish in an Iowa creek, according to officials who are also investigating another fish kill found near Osceola.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources investigators received reports Tuesday of a fish kill along a two-mile stretch of Pine Creek, linked to a manure spill from Jim Frye’s hog confinement, according to a news release.

Frye’s below-building manure pits overflowed, allowing manure to seep into an underground tile line which flows into the creek. Frye has reportedly stopped that overflow and is working to prevent more manure from reaching the tile line.

“This is a good reminder for livestock farmers,” said Sue Miller, DNR environmental specialist said in the release. “Pits are getting full this time of year, and producers should check the levels frequently and make sure there is no discharge.”

Officials are taking a fish count, monitoring the clean-up effort. The Iowa DNR may seek restitution for the killed fish, the release stated.

It’s the third fish kill reported in Iowa this week.

DNR officials are also looking into a grease spill near White Breast Creek from a food processor west of Osceola, according to another news release.

Osceola Foods reported to the DNR Sunday that a pumping station failed, causing approximately 200 gallons of a grease-water mix to flow into a ditch that leads to the creek.

The company called a HazMat company to deal with the spill that afternoon. Despite efforts to pump the mixture from the ditch and block it from expanding, DNR staff found the mixture had enveloped a quarter-mile of the drainage ditch and killed small fish.

The spill was headed toward White Breast Creek as of Wednesday, though the DNR didn’t find any more dead fish.

The company may face fines.