IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES August 2, 2007For immediate release 1.	Producers can prevent fish kills by acting now2.	August 7 EPC agenda revised3.	Public asked to attend meeting on improving Milford Creek4.	Public asked for input on Big Sioux water quality improvementplan PRODUCERS CAN PREVENT FISH KILLS BY ACTING NOW MEDIA CONTACT: Tom McCarthy at (563) 927-2640. DES MOINES - Is something fishy flowing to a lake or stream near you?The DNR reminds everyone it doesn’t take much to cause a fish killduring summer months. Preventing manure and other pollutants fromentering Iowa waters ensures fish and other aquatic life of Iowaflourish.   “We typically see fish kills happen during late summer, when any kindof runoff can further stress fish as temperatures soar,” said TomMcCarthy, an environmental specialist at the DNR field office inManchester. “Producers need to check their buildings and storagestructures to make sure that they aren’t compromised orovertopping.” Fish require dissolved oxygen in water in order to survive, anddissolved oxygen levels decrease when pollutants enter the water. Manure runoff, herbicides, pesticides, nutrients and even organicmatter such as milk or milk room wastes can also cause dissolved oxygenlevels to drop, stressing fish.  Ammonia and ammonium, commonly found in manure runoff and pesticides,are lethal to fish at fairly low concentrations. “High levels of ammonia in water also destroy fish tissue. We call it‘burning their gills.’ At that point, the fish is just trying to getout of the water,” DNR Biologist Don Kline said.   This is also a good time for livestock and poultry producers to inspecttheir facilities, McCarthy said. Producers should look for leaks wheremanure could escape or is improperly stored, or where any potentialpollutant within their facilities could potentially reach Iowa water. Low flow streams during summer months mean even small amounts ofpollutants entering water could be hazardous for fish. “Even when you just see minnows dying, it’s showing you a biggerpicture; and that is something’s wrong in the water,” Kline said.  “This is a water quality issue affecting the people of Iowa. Evenwhen fish kills happen in small streams, they’re still part of theecosystem and feed into bigger streams. It’s all connected,”McCarthy said. Fish kills should be promptly reported to the DNR’s 24-hour spillline at (515) 281-8694. Writer: Holly Williams # # # AUGUST 7 EPC AGENDA REVISED MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Grimes at (515) 281 -5135 DES MOINES - An addition to the Environmental Protection Commission’sAug. 7 agenda will allow the commission to learn more about theirresponsibilities over confined animal feeding operations.  Requested by a commission member, the new presentation is scheduled for11:30 a.m.  Other changes to the agenda include an expanded general discussion listfocusing on water quality issues. The commission will hear updatedinformation about bringing Iowa waters into compliance with the federalClean Water Act, as well as learning more about Iowa’s 2006 impairedwaters list. The DNR’s budget process is also going to be discussedduring the general discussion time. The meeting will be held at the DNR Air Quality Building, 7900 HickmanRoad, Urbandale, at 10 a.m. with public participation scheduled for10:30 a.m.  The revised agenda may be accessed at: www.iowadnr.gov/epc/index.html. Writer: Holly Williams# # # PUBLIC ASKED TO ATTEND MEETING ON IMPROVING MILFORD CREEK MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Van Gorp, DNR, at (515) 281-4791. ARNOLDS PARK - Iowans interested in improving Milford Creek inDickinson County can attend an Aug. 13 public meeting and review a DNRimprovement plan for the stream. The DNR has developed a water quality improvement plan for MilfordCreek, which is on the state’s impaired waters list because it is notsupporting the amount and diversity of aquatic life that it should. Thecreek also drains the Iowa Great Lakes. The DNR will ask Iowans for their input on the improvement plan at anAug. 13 meeting in Arnolds Park. The meeting will take place at 1:30p.m. at the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum, 243 West Broadway St. “We encourage Iowans in the Great Lakes area to come to the meetingand learn more about how they can use the water quality improvement planto help improve Milford Creek,” said Chris Van Gorp, with the DNR’sWatershed Improvement section. Those not able to attend the public meeting can receive moreinformation at www.iowadnr.gov/water/watershed/tmdl/ and submit commentson the plan (by Sept. 4) via the following ways:E-mail: [log in to unmask] Telephone: Chris Van Gorp at (515) 281-4791Mail: Chris Van Gorp, care of Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building,502 E. 9th St.,Des Moines, Iowa 50319 The DNR’s water quality improvement plan, also called by itstechnical name of Total Maximum Daily Load, outlines the problems andpotential solutions to the problems in Milford Creek.  After gathering Iowans’ comments, the DNR will forward the final planto the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. Local groupsinterested in helping Milford Creek can then use the plan to assisttheir improvement efforts. Writer: Jessie Brown # # # PUBLIC ASKED FOR INPUT ON BIG SIOUX WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Van Gorp, Iowa DNR, at (515) 281-4791. DES MOINES - Iowans interested in improving water quality in the BigSioux River can comment on a draft Water Quality Improvement Planthrough Sept. 7.   High bacteria levels are the main cause of water quality problems inthe Big Sioux River, located in northwest Iowa. Those bacteria indicatethat waste from wildlife, livestock, birds and humans is in the water.The bacteria come from sources throughout the watershed, or area of landthat drains into the river. Those sources include treated wastewater,rain and snow runoff from areas with wildlife and livestock, and leakingseptic systems.  The water quality improvement plan is also known as a TMDL, or TotalMaximum Daily Load. TMDLs are calculations used to determine how much ofa pollutant a water body can receive and still maintain water qualitystandards. Iowans can submit comments on the Big Sioux River plan via e-mail,phone or mail through Sept.7. The draft plan and supporting documents can be obtained through:  Internet: www.iowadnr.gov/water/watershed/tmdl/publicnotice.html E-mail:  [log in to unmask] Telephone: William Graham at (515) 281-5917Mail: William Graham, care of Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building,502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, Iowa 50319 As part of the Big Sioux River watershed lies in South Dakota, thedraft plan has been compiled in a joint effort between the South DakotaDepartment of Environmental and Natural Resources (SDDENR) and the IowaDNR.  The original plan, completed in the spring of 2006, has beenupdated to include data and information from South Dakota. After receiving public comments, the IDNR and SDDENR will submit thedraft plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for finalapproval. -30-
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