“It would be recommended that they monitor and watch a system like that,” Cain said.

The Mouws didn’t return phone calls seeking comment. The pump was part of a machine the owners rented that also agitated the manure to make it flow more smoothly, Cain said.

The manure was being transferred from a 3.3-million-gallon storage lagoon at the top of a hill along Wood Road, Cain said. The lagoon was nearly full, so its contents were being pumped through a flexible conduit to a 3.9-million-gallon pit that was built about 18 months ago on the side of the hill, he said.

Cain said he didn’t know how much manure was spilled, and it may not be possible to estimate the volume if the owners don’t know how much was in the lagoon before and after the spill.

The DNR hasn’t tracked how much manure was retrieved from an area along Highway Q, where a berm was installed after the spill was discovered early Thursday, Cain said.

The manure was vacuumed into trucks and deposited back at the dairy. The owners are responsible for those costs.

Rowe said the odor of manure was still evident in the creek and manure residue could be seen up to the high-water mark on the banks.