BURLINGTON, Iowa — An Iowa man has been fined for his role in a fertilizer spill in Burlington that occurred back in April.
According to a consent order between Jeffrey Boyer and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Boyer was ordered to pay $8,000 for illegally discharging into state waters.
The spill happened when a 700-gallon plastic tank of fertilizer on the back of truck broke open around 5 p.m. on Monday, April 22. The incident occurred near the intersection of West and Roosevelt Avenues in Burlington, next to a Casey's. A witness told investigators that the truck's driver gout out of the vehicle, left the mostly emptied tank nearby and then left the scene. The fertilizer was later identified as Green Phosphate.
The day after the spill, officials went to Hawkeye Creek to investigate the aftermath. The creek is a tributary of the Mississippi River. During this investigation, officials found that waters had been turned white, with testing indicating high levels of ammonia in the water. At this point, the discoloration hadn't reached the Mississippi River.
At this point, the Burlington Fire Department says it called Boyer to request his assistance with mitigating the spill. Boyer declined that request, according to the consent order.
On April 24 and April 25, the Burlington Fire Department opened a fire hydrant and discharged more than 200,000 gallons of water each day in order to help flush the creek.