Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Division For Immediate Release February 27, 2007 1. Deadline for manure management plans extended 2. More Iowa communities bypass wastewater DEADLINE FOR MANURE MANAGEMENT PLANS EXTENDED DES MOINES — The March 1st deadline that some livestock producers had to submit updated manure management plans has been extended for two weeks. “We fully recognize some of the hardships that livestock producers have faced with the recent weather conditions and we want to give them time to address the immediate concerns they may be facing, particularly with predictions of another winter storm coming this week,” said Richard Leopold, director off the DNR. Leopold said the DNR has received some reports of producers having difficulty updating their plans because of power outages this week and not being able to access electronically stored data needed to complete the updates. Approximately 350 manure management plan updates were due on Thursday. The new deadline is Friday, March 16th. Plans postmarked by midnight on March 16th will be accepted. A manure management plan (MMP) is a tool for producers to use when they plan their nutrient placement to optimize crop production. Filling out an MMP helps producers identify the amount of manure being produced, the nutrient concentration in the manure, the number of acres that are required for land application and the amount that will be applied to each available acre. Mid-size and large producers are required by state law to fill out and file an MMP with the DNR. For more information, contact Cindy Martens at 712-262-4177. ### MORE IOWA COMMUNITIES BYPASS WASTEWATER Winter storm leads to power losses and bypasses MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Baskins, (515) 281-8395 DES MOINES – The DNR continued to receive reports of wastewater bypasses from across Iowa on Tuesday following this weekend’s winter storm. Although bypassing sewage is never a desirable situation, it can prevent sewage backup into homes and businesses, which can create a greater risk to human health. Bypassing to a stream can help dilute the wastewater, while sewage in basements would be undiluted. “It is important that bypassing be kept to a minimum. The longer and the more volume that is bypassed, the more serious the impact can be to the environment and water quality,” said Barb Lynch, chief of the DNR’s field services bureau. The following communities reported wastewater bypasses to the DNR on Tuesday: Center Point (Linn) The City of Center Point bypassed about 15,000 gallons of wastewater to Blue Creek. A lift station lost power due to the winter storm on Saturday and began bypassing at 2:45 a.m. Sunday when a backup generator failed. The city bypassed until 3:30 a.m. Sunday when a new generator went into operation. Power was restored later on Sunday. Eldridge (Scott County) The City of Eldridge bypassed less than 5,000 gallons following a pump failure Sunday. A backup generator was used during Saturday’s power outage to prevent bypassing, but the lift station pump failed late Sunday. Power was restored and the pump was back in operation by 10 a.m. Monday. The wastewater pooled in a field and did not reach a stream. LeClaire (Scott County) The City of LeClaire bypassed about 120,000 gallons of wastewater from 7:30 p.m. Monday to 8 a.m. Tuesday due to a problem with the plant’s computerized controls. The bypass reached a small unnamed stream that runs to the Mississippi River. This bypass is not related to this weekend’s winter storm. Moville (Woodbury County) A broken force main between the City of Moville’s lift station and its storage lagoons has led the city to bypass about 150,000 gallons of wastewater into a roadside ditch near Highway 20. The bypass is entering a tile intake in the ditch and flowing to the West Fork of the Little Sioux River. The city discovered the bypass around 3 p.m. Monday and the bypass ended around 7 a.m. Tuesday. The city is working to repair the force main and has arranged for wastewater to be hauled to its lagoon if necessary. North English (Iowa County) A power failure led to the City of North English bypassing an unknown amount of wastewater to Little Creek, a tributary of the South English River, from early Monday to 8:50 Monday evening. The power loss led to the failure of a lift station and failure for an alarm to alert the wastewater operator of the situation. Ottumwa (Wapello County) The City of Ottumwa lost power to four lift stations, leading to the city bypassing an unknown amount of wastewater Saturday and Sunday to Oxbow Lake and an unnamed tributary to Sugar Creek. -30- Neila Seaman, MPA Director Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 [log in to unmask] 515-277-8868 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp