MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Iowa — A 1,500-ton fertilizer spill that ended up in the East Nishnabotna River killed nearly 750,000 fish along a 50-mile stretch, reaching the Missouri Border.
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), New Cooperative, an agricultural company in Montgomery County, informed the Iowa DNR of the release on-site on Monday, March 11.
1,500 tons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer, 32% solution, was discharged into a drainage ditch in Red Oak, Iowa, before making its way into the East Nishnabotna River. The river is a tributary of the Missouri River. According to the DNR, the spill happened due to a valve left open overnight on an aboveground storage tank.
After investigating the incident, DNR Fisheries staff determined the fish kill count to be 749,242 across 13 different species:
- Minnow Shiner Dace Chub: 707,871
- Suckers: 1,542
- Goldeye: 201
- Common Carp: 9,255
- Carpsucker: 14,500
- Buffalo: 4
- Sauger: 199
- Channel Catfish: 7,681
- Flathead Catfish: 264
- Green Sunfish: 935
- Silver Carp: 67
- Largemouth Bass: 69
- Grass Carp, diploid: 6,654
Cleanup efforts at the New Cooperative facilities are still ongoing while contaminated soils continue to be removed from the area.
Although ammonia levels are declining in the river, the DNR recommends people to avoid any recreational use of it and/or eating dead fish found near the river.
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