DNR CONTINUES INVESTIGATION OF MANURE SPILL IN SOUTHWEST IOWA

WOODBINE - Employees of a hog confinement operation are pumping manure
contaminated water due to a manure spill that occurred last week.

An employee of Furnas County Farms was killed Tuesday, Sept. 3 in a tractor
accident while land applying manure at a 20,000-head pork finishing unit
northwest of Woodbine in Harrison County. An umbilical line used to pump
manure was apparently ruptured and not discovered by the company until this
week. The DNR wasn't notified of the manure spill until Wednesday, Sept. 11.

It was estimated that at least 500,000 gallons of manure was spilled and
entered Elk Creek which flows to  Willow Creek, the Boyer River and
eventually to the Missouri River, but the investigation is hampered because
so much time has elapsed since the spill occurred. Employees worked through
the night Thursday to berm the Elk Creek and pump contaminated water from
the stream to be properly land applied.

The DNR has recommended that the responsible party coordinate efforts have
the water land applied with downstream land owners hopefully to prevent
further contamination to Willow Creek.

"Cooperation between land owners and Furnas County Farms employees could go
a long way toward preventing a fish kill," said Dan Stipe, supervisor of the
DNR's field office in Atlantic.

Ammonia was detected in Willow Creek during investigation on Friday while
similar testing on Thursday did not show any. Due to very low water levels,
contamination appears to be going very slowly downstream. However, the DNR
has still not been able to document a fish kill relating to this incident.

The DNR is continuing its investigation of this incident.

For more information, contact Dan Stipe at 712-243-1934.

MECHANICAL FAILURE BLAMED FOR SEWAGE BYPASS IN ATLANTIC

ATLANTIC - A mechanical failure at the Atlantic waste water treatment plant
resulted in approximately 400,000 gallons of untreated sewage being released
into the East Nishnabotna River Wednesday and Thursday.

The bypass began at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday and was stopped at
7:15 a.m. Thursday. There have been no reports of a fish kill related to
this incident.

The DNR is continuing to investigate this incident and may take enforcement
action if warranted, according to Dan Stipe, supervisor of the DNR's field
office in Atlantic.

For more information, contact Dan Stipe at (712) 243-1934.

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