By Register
Staff Report
10/06/2001
Hog manure runoff killed more than 10,000 fish last weekend
in Union County, the Department of Natural Resources said Friday.
"The replacement value of the fish is $954, with minnows making up more
than 95 percent of the fish killed," said Mike McGhee, fisheries
biologist. A few largemouth bass, bluegill, bullheads, green sunfish and Johnny
darters also died.
Contaminated on Saturday was a 1-mile stretch of a creek southeast of
Thayer.
The manure came from Clarke Sow Unit, a confinement operation with 4,150
sows that is owned by Iowa Select Farms of Iowa Falls, DNR officials said.
Runoff killed the fish when clay soil became saturated as the manure was
applied, according to Dan Stipe, supervisor of the DNR field office in
Atlantic.
Southern Waste Hauling of Mount Ayr applied the manure, the DNR said.