Manure-laced water flows into creek after grassed waterway was removed north of Sioux City

An unspecified amount of manure mixed with water, which had been pumped onto a field north of Sioux City, flowed into a creek last week because a grassed waterway was removed, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The contamination did not result in a fish kill, and there were no visible environmental impacts from the Friday discharge, said Scott Wilson, supervisor of the DNR field office that oversees the area.

The contaminated water came from Hansen Feedyards, an open feedlot with about 3,000 cattle that lies about five miles north of Sioux City.

It’s common for such facilities to collect manure-laden stormwater in basins and to periodically pump the water onto nearby fields.

Wilson said the feedlot’s operators were applying the manure-laced water to a field they have used before, but that a grassed waterway had been removed from the field.

Those waterways act as channels for stormwater that reduce erosion and improve water quality. Without one in the field near the feedlot, the contamined water flowed more quickly and reached Perry Creek. The DNR learned of the contamination when someone reported that the creek didn’t look right.

Wilson said the feedlot will not apply the manure water to that area again to avoid the potential for further creek contamination.

The creek flows south through Sioux City, where it meets the Missouri River. Tests of the contaminated creek water are pending, Wilson said.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.