Iowa DNR News
Environmental Protection Division

For immediate release    Dec. 18 2001

EFFORTS MADE TO STOP CONTAMINATION FROM REACHING EAST FORK OF DES MOINES
RIVER

LIVERMORE - A dam was constructed on Lotts Creek near Livermore late Tuesday
afternoon in an attempt to prevent contaminated water from a broken
anhydrous ammonia line from reaching the East Fork of the Des Moines River.

By Tuesday afternoon, contamination from the spill, which originated eight
miles west of Algona, had killed virtually all fish as well as other
water-dwelling animals including snapping turtles, frogs and muskrat along
at least 18 miles of Lotts Creek. Although total counts have not yet been
tabulated, the final kill estimates are expected to be in the hundreds of
thousands.

If the contaminated water reaches the East Fork of the Des Moines River, the
number of fish killed would go much higher, according to DNR biologists.

"We are making every effort we can make to prevent a fish kill from
occurring on the East Fork of the Des Moines River," said Bill Jinkinson,
supervisor of the DNR's field office in Mason City.

The dam constructed was approximately four to five feet high and stretched
approximately 30 feet across Lotts Creek just above where the creek enters
the East Fork of the Des Moines River near Livermore. Four pumps capable of
pumping 5,000 gallons a minute total have been put in place to land apply
the contaminated water on 800 acres of adjoining farm land.

The spill started Friday, Dec. 14 when the pipeline owned by Koch
Industries, Inc. was ruptured during maintenance work. Koch Industries has
put a device known as an air sparger in place which allows more air to
interface with the contaminated water to help break down the ammonia
concentration.

There is also a possibility that additional treated water from the Livermore
waste treatment lagoon may be used to help dilute the contamination in Lotts
Creek, Jinkinson said.

The leading edge of the contaminated water was expected to reach the dam nea
r the East Fork of the Des Moines River at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday,
approximately 25 miles downstream from where the spill originally occurred,
according to Jinkinson.

"We would anticipate having to pump water 24 hours a day for the next
several days until it will be safe again to open up the stream into the East
Fork of the Des Moines," Jinkinson said.


For more information, contact Kevin Baskins at (515) 281-8395.

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