Iowa DNR News
Environmental Services Division

For immediate release Jan. 26, 2007 

For more information, contact Barb Lynch, DNR's field office bureau chief, at (712) 260-1728; or Dan Olson, environmental specialist in the Atlantic DNR field office, at (712) 243-1934.

DNR TAKES ENFORCEMENT ACTION ON OPEN FEEDLOTS

DES MOINES * The DNR formally notified three open feedlot producers in southwest Iowa this week that they were in violation of state water quality standards after manure-laden runoff from their feedlots was discharged to a stream. 

The following producers have received a draft consent order with an offer to negotiate:
* Crossroads Cattle in Harrison County,
* Schomers Cattle in Shelby County, and
* Pheasant Ridge Farms in Pottawattamie County.

In addition to monetary penalties in each case, the DNR is requiring Schomers Cattle and Crossroads Cattle to apply for and obtain an operating permit, also called a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or NPDES permit. 

"Evidence of a discharge and impact to a stream was found in all these cases," said Barb Lynch, chief of DNR's field offices. "It's important for producers to anticipate discharges below their open feedlots, especially after spring or fall rainfall or during freeze-thaw events in the winter. 

"That's when it's most likely for a discharge to occur," she added. "Many of these could be avoided with runoff control structures and frequent manure removal. 

Crossroads Cattle discharged into an unnamed tributary of Willow Creek. Schomers and Pheasant Ridge discharged into unnamed tributaries of Mosquito Creek and Little Mosquito Creek respectively. 

The discharges were found during inspections of open feedlots in the spring of 2006 as part of a joint initiative with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA and the Iowa DNR inspected a total of 50 open feedlots. The EPA is taking action on four other open feedlots in Woodbury (two), Sioux, and Cass Counties. 

Lynch added that if a discharge causes discolored or smelly water in a stream or lake that would be a violation of water quality standards. Any discharge that causes a fish kill would also be a violation. 

Producers can improve water quality and protect themselves from violations by installing and maintaining runoff control structures, and keeping manure-laden runoff out of streams. 

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Karen Grimes
515-281-5135
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