Butler County Manure Spill Under Investigation

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is monitoring a manure spill in Butler County.

State officials said the spill was caused by a broken water line in an empty hog confinement on Wednesday (Sept. 26, 2018). According to a press release, an unknown amount of manure traveled about a mile before entering a tributary of Parmentar Creek. Field tests conducted by DNR staff found slightly elevated ammonia levels, but they weren't high enough to kill fish.

TEDE Farms LLC owns the building. The facility, which is located about three miles north of Bristow, is leased by Iowa Select Farms.

The DNR said a clean-up crew from Iowa Select Farms stopped the flow and built dams downstream to contain contaminated water, which they pumped and hauled to apply on crop fields.

During an investigation, DNR staff did not observe any dead fish in the stream. The state agency will continue to monitor cleanup and possibly appropriate enforcement action, DNR officials said.