WALCOTT, Iowa — Possibly 500 gallons has spilled from a leaking pipe from an above-ground diesel fuel tank near Walcott on Thursday morning, Feb. 23. A neighbor traced the fuel through an unnamed tributary of Mud Creek to an underground tile line in a farmyard.
The Maysville Fire Department placed absorbent booms in the tributary to prevent the fuel from traveling further downstream. The farmer is unsure when the leak happened, making it hard to estimate the the amount that was spilled. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says possibly 500 gallons spilled, with half possibly reaching the Mud Creek before booms could be placed.
The Iowa DNR staff took water samples for testing and checked downstream for impacts. No dead fish were found.