Fertilizer spill contaminates drought-stricken Iowa river
The DNR alerted towns downstream from Red Oak about the potential effect the spill might have on drinking water, although none of the towns draws water directly from the river. Several of them have relatively shallow wells near the river.
An estimated 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer leaked from a farmers cooperative in Red Oak early this week and most of it went into the East Nishnabotna River, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
An investigation into the extent of the environmental damage is pending, but the crop fertilizer killed fish and might have affected the river all the way to the Missouri border, which is about 40 miles downstream from the southwest Iowa town, said Wendy Wittrock, a DNR senior environmental specialist who investigated the incident.
Wittrock said it is likely the largest fertilizer spill she has investigated: “It is a lot of fertilizer.”
The spill was reported Monday morning by NEW Cooperative after one of its employees noticed the leak and stopped it.
The cause of the spill is under investigation, but the fertilizer leaked from a
valve in an area where it is transferred from a very large tank into smaller tanks for distribution. The large tank — which holds about 500,000 gallons — is in a containment area that can prevent wider spills, but the transfer area does not have the same protection, Wittrock said. It’s unclear how long the valve was leaking.
“Upon discovery of the spill, management immediately initiated containment protocols as per our established safety procedures,” NEW Cooperative said in a prepared statement. “We promptly notified the appropriate local authorities and regulatory agencies and have been working diligently in close cooperation with them ever since.”
A spokesperson for the Fort Dodgebased cooperative declined to comment further. The amount of fertilizer spilled is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Low water exacerbates effects of spill
The cooperative lies just east of the river on the north side of Red Oak. The fertilizer flowed into a drainage ditch and then into the river. Its effect on the river was exacerbated by low river flow, Wittrock said. Higher flows can help dilute contamination.
The East Nishnabotna is flowing at about 7% of normal at Red Oak, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The area upstream is in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The DNR’s on-site investigation into the fish kill that resulted from the spill was expected to conclude Wednesday, said John Lorenzen, a fisheries biologist for the department. He declined to reveal its early findings but noted the large amount of fertilizer that went into the river.
“Obviously, that’s not good,” he said. The DNR alerted towns downstream from Red Oak about the potential effect the spill might have on drinking water, although none of the towns draws water directly from the river. Several of them have relatively shallow wells near the river, according to DNR records.
Missouri officials also are investigating the impacts the spill might have on the Nishnabotna River, which flows for about 10 miles in that state before joining the Missouri River.
Kansas City, Missouri, draws drinking water directly from the river, but the Missouri River is large and the city is more than 100 miles downstream from the mouth of the Nishnabotna.
“We think it’ll be fairly diluted by the time it gets down here,” said Karen Rouse, a regional director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch , which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com .