The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that a pipe coupler on manure application equipment broke Monday, October 12, allowing manure to reach Clark Creek in northeast Allamakee County about a mile and a half above where the creek flows into the Upper Iowa River southwest of New Albin.
Krauskopf Pumping Service of Decorah was pumping liquid manure from Cyclone 1 hog confinement owned by David Weymiller of rural New Albin for land application on crop fields when the coupler break released an estimated 1,000 gallons of the manure, causing a fish kill in the creek.
“In less than an hour the landowner did a great job of damming the creek, preventing further damage downstream. We checked every place between the spill site and the Upper Iowa River for dead fish,” said Theresa Shay, technician at the DNR’s Decorah fish hatchery. “We only found two dead fish in the entire stretch - two white suckers, but we did see live sticklebacks and white suckers.”