IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
July 15 2004
For immediate release
1. EPC to address air emissions near animal operations
2. Barge sunk in Lake Delhi releases diesel fuel
3. Manure spill causes fish kill near Dyersville
4. Source identified in Walker fish kill
5. DNR advises farmers to inspect dry manure stacking areas to prevent fish
kills
6. Brownfield redevelopment seminar set for August
7. Midwest Radioactive Waste Commission meeting on Tuesday
EPC TO ADDRESS AIR EMISSIONS NEAR ANIMAL OPERATIONS
DES MOINES - The Environmental Protection Commission will be asked to
approve final rules for a study of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and odor levels
around animal feeding operations at the July 19 meeting.
The proposed rules will include DNR recommendations to establish a health
effects value and a health effects standard for hydrogen sulfide. These
values will be used to compare against monitoring data taken from an ongoing
field study near animal feeding operations. If concentrations exceed 30
parts per billion averaged over one hour more than seven times per year, the
DNR could proceed with programs that
address emissions from animal feeding operations.
The EPC will meet on Monday, at 10 a.m., at the DNR office, 7900 Hickman
Road in Urbandale. Tom Newton from the Department of Public Health will be
speaking at 10:15 a.m. Public participation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
The meeting is open to the public.
The complete agenda follows:
* Approval of Agenda
* Approval of Minutes
* Director's Remarks
* Final Rule - Chapter 32 "Animal Feeding Operations Field Study"
* Final Rule - Amend Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) 567-Chapter 118,
"Discarded Appliance Demanufacturing"
* Final Rule - Adopt new IAC 567-Chapter 122 "Cathode Ray Tube Device
Recycling"
* Final Rule - Rescind IAC 567-Chapters 215 "Waste Tire Management County
Grant Program," 216 "Regents Tire-Derived Fuel Program," and 217 "Waste Tire
End-User Incentive Program"
* State of Iowa Public Drinking Water Program
* 2003 Annual Compliance Report
* Proposed Contested Case Decision - Natural Pork Production II, LLP
* Proposed Contested Case Decision - Richard Juhl
* Monthly Reports
* General Discussion
* Items for next month's meeting
More information about the agenda items can be found on the DNR website
under Commissions and Boards at www.iowadnr.com.
The members of the commission are Darrell Hanson, chair, Manchester; Kathryn
Murphy, LeMars; Terrance Townsend, Newton; Lisa Davis-Cook, West Des Moines;
Lori Glanzman, Mt. Pleasant; Jerry Peckum, Jefferson; Heidi Vittetoe,
Washington; Francis Thicke, Fairfield; and Donna Buell, Spirit Lake. The
director of the DNR is Jeff Vonk.
For more information, contact Karen Grimes, at (515) 281-5135.
# # #
BARGE SUNK IN LAKE DELHI RELEASES DIESEL FUEL
DELHI - Emergency crews are attempting to recover diesel fuel from a sunken
dredging barge in an effort to bring the barge to the surface. The barge
sank in Lake Delhi, located in Delaware County, sometime between 5:30 and
7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
An unknown amount of fuel has escaped, leaving a thin sheen on the lake's
surface for several hundred yards around the area where the barge sank.
Emergency response crews placed absorbent booms to recover as much of the
fuel as possible. The tank was secured to prevent further fuel loss. No one
was injured in the incident.
Officials from the J. F. Brennan Company of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, owner of
the barge, estimate that the barge may have held up to 500 gallons of fuel.
The DNR told swimmers at a nearby beach that swimming was not advised but
had not posted a warning sign on Thursday afternoon. Multiple samples will
be collected between the barge and the dam to determine the impact of the
spill.
"The bright sunny day likely vaporized much of the fuel," said Sue Miller,
an environmental specialist at the Manchester DNR field office. "Some
natural decay will break the fuel down, but swimmers should be aware of the
situation."
The DNR observed no fuel odor or sheen by the dam or below the dam, but an
absorbent boom was placed in front of the dam as a precaution.
The cause of the incident has not been determined, but is under
investigation. The DNR will continue to monitor recovery efforts and take
appropriate legal action.
For more information, contact Sue Miller at 563-927-2640.
# # #
MANURE SPILL CAUSES FISH KILL NEAR DYERSVILLE
DYERSVILLE - A manure release from a dairy farm Thursday morning caused a
complete fish kill along an unnamed tributary of the North Fork of the
Maquoketa River near Dyersville.
A plywood stop in a manure control structure blew out, releasing an
estimated several thousand gallons of manure into the small stream. The
owner of the farm worked quickly to address the spill, constructing an
earthen dam, keeping most of the manure contained in the stream and out of
the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. The collected manure is being applied
to cornfields.
The manure caused a complete fish kill in the tributary, killing a few
hundred creek chubs, stonerollers and minnows. DNR fisheries staff will be
conducting a fish count on Thursday.
This is the third fish kill this week in the North Fork of the Maquoketa
River watershed.
The DNR will continue to investigate the incident and will later determine
if any enforcement actions will be taken.
For more information, contact Mike Wade at (563) 927-2640.
# # #
SOURCE IDENTIFIED IN WALKER FISH KILL
MANCHESTER - F.J. Krob and Company, of Walker, was identified as the source
of the ammonia that killed nearly 8,000 fish in the east branch of Blue
Creek last Friday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources identified the
company during the investigation.
Susan Miller, with the DNR's Manchester office, said an employee with the
company mistakenly released an estimated 4,000 gallons of ammonia
contaminated water from a tank that was the source of the fish kill.
The investigation uncovered an opened valve that allowed ammonia into the
water tank.
Miller said the DNR would seek penalties beyond fish restitution. F.J. Krob
and Company was responsible for a fish kill in the same stream in June 2003.
For more information, contact Susan Miller at (563) 927-2640.
# # #
DNR ADVISES FARMERS TO INSPECT DRY MANURE STACKING AREAS TO PREVENT FISH
KILLS
DES MOINES - The DNR is advising dairy farmers to inspect "dry" manure
stacking areas on their property, as rainfall can cause the manure to flow
into streams and lakes.
Farmers must store manure in an area where runoff from the site can not
enter a stream, waterway or tile line. Rain water that runs through manure
stacking areas picks up high levels of ammonia, which is toxic to fish and
other aquatic life.
"With all the rain we've had this spring and summer, it's important to keep
manure away from streams and lakes," said Mike Wade, an environmental
specialist in the Manchester DNR field office. "The manure can flow over
long distances and still cause fish kills."
Producers should check dry manure stacking areas to make sure the area is
not wet or that any manure is leaking from the area. Manure stacked on the
ground must have a minimum separation distance of 200 feet from any
waterway, tile line or stream.
Runoff from a dry manure site is believed to have a caused a recent fish
kill in Delaware County that killed minnows, chubs, suckers and darters. A
fish kill a few years ago was caused by manure that flowed through a
cornfield for over 1,000 feet before entering a stream. Unless farmers take
action in protecting manure sites, more fish kills could occur with
additional rainfall, Wade said.
For more information, contact Mike Wade at (563) 927-2640.
# # #
BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT SEMINAR SET FOR AUGUST
Free seminar will help communities and developers overcome brownfield
obstacles
CEDAR RAPIDS - A free seminar on brownfield redevelopment issues will be
offered August 3 in Cedar Rapids. The seminar is directed toward community
governments, developers and others interested in turning brownfield sites
from obstacles into opportunities.
The reuse and redevelopment of abandoned, idled or underutilized properties
that have environmental concerns, known as brownfields, is both a challenge
and an opportunity. Brownfield redevelopment can breathe fresh life into a
depressed area. However, along with these opportunities, there are many
complex issues and uncertainties regarding Brownfield site liabilities,
legal and environmental risks.
At this seminar, a panel of speakers will examine how brownfield properties
can be transformed from a liability and expense for one business into a
prime development opportunity for another. A field of experts will be
available to help guide attendees in finding problem-solving assistance and
financial resources to make the best of brownfield properties.
The seminar is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
supported by the DNR.
The seminar will be held from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Collins Plaza Hotel
in Cedar Rapids with a reception to follow. While the seminar is free to
attend, pre-registration is requested before July 28. To register, call
(800) 842-1358, ext. 54114. For more information on the seminar, a brochure
is available on the DNR's Web site at www.iowadnr.com.
For more information, contact Mel Pins at (515) 577-2341.
# # #
MIDWEST RADIOACTIVE WASTE COMMISSION MEETING ON TUESDAY
DES MOINES - The Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact
Commission will hold a special meeting by telephone conference call from
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20.
The meeting will be held in Conference Room 5E of the Wallace State Office
Building, located at 502 E. 9th Street in Des Moines. The public is welcome
to attend.
Iowa DNR Deputy Director Liz Christiansen is a commissioner for the
organization. Other states represented include Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri,
Ohio and Wisconsin.
The meeting agenda includes action on a budget request for contribution to a
National Academy of Sciences study on low-level activity and review of the
June 15 meeting minutes.
For more information, contact Liz Christiansen at (515) 281-3388 or by
e-mail at [log in to unmask]
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