DNR Investigating Manure Spill in Hamilton County

HAMILTON COUNTY — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a manure spill that entered a tributary of the South Skunk River near Ellsworth late last week.

According to the DNR, the agency’s Mason City Field Office was notified March 28 by Hovick Hauling, a certified manure applicator, about the incident. The spill occurred near the intersection of 320th Street and Vail Avenue, northeast of Ellsworth.

Officials said the applicator was transporting liquid manure to a field when the tank rolled into a roadside ditch. The accident released an unknown amount of manure into a surface tile intake. From there, the manure traveled through approximately 1.5 miles of drainage tile before discharging into an unnamed tributary of the South Skunk River.

The applicator took immediate steps to contain the spill, including constructing an earthen dam in the tributary and removing contaminated water to prevent further downstream flow. Despite those efforts, the DNR said some amount of manure reached the South Skunk River.

DNR field staff assessed the river over the weekend and reported no evidence of a fish kill.

The incident remains under investigation, and the department will determine whether enforcement action is necessary.