GRISWOLD, Iowa (KMTV) — Two-hundred-fifty-thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer were released from the NEW Cooperative plant into the East Nishnabotna River near Red Oak in March in 2024. It's agreed to a settlement that includes paying $50,000 to the State of Iowa and $50,000 to Montgomery County, but the Nishnabotna Water Defenders are satisfied with that consent order.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
- "…Ultimately, we're really disappointed, but we're not going to stop because clean water is really, really important, said Jodi Reese, the Secretary of Nishnabotna Water Defenders.
- NEW Cooperative sent a statement, which reads in part: "NEW Cooperative wants our communities to know we remain dedicated to being good environmental stewards. We have a strong environmental record, and this incident remains the first — and only — time in the company's 50-year history that our emergency environmental response procedures have needed to be activated."
- RELATED | RED OAK FERTILIZER SPILL: More than 700,000 fish killed in East Nishnabotna River
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel.
There are growing concerns about water quality in Iowa. And some worried neighbors are saying that a company that spilled liquid nitrogen into this river — the East Nishnabotna — is getting off with a slap on the wrist.
Jodi Reese is part of the Nishnabotna Water Defenders, a group of neighbors that formed in response to the spill in March of last year.
Two-hundred-fifty-thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer were released from the NEW Cooperative plant into the East Nishnabotna River near Red Oak.
"And so it's really going to take all of us, all of our community members to look out for the quality of our water," said Reese.
A nurse practitioner, she owns land with her partner a mile from the East Nishnabotna River near Griswold.
Jodi, walking through her land: "We're going to plant, have mushrooms down here…"
The group isn't satisfied with the agreement between the State of Iowa and NEW Cooperative in which the company will pay $50,000 to the state, $50,000 to Montgomery County Conservation, and have a three-year probationary period.
"…Ultimately, we're really disappointed, but we're not going to stop because clean water is really, really important," Reese said.
I asked NEW Cooperative for an interview, and it sent a statement, which reads in part: "NEW Cooperative wants our communities to know we remain dedicated to being good environmental stewards. We have a strong environmental record, and this incident remains the first — and only — time in the company's 50-year history that our emergency environmental response procedures have needed to be activated."
Three-quarters of a million fish were killed. Additionally, court documents indicate there were dead snakes, frogs, and mussels.
Reese is also worries because a report from Polk County and Harkin Institute points out that Iowa is reducing the number of its water quality sensors from 80 to 20.
Reese: "And one of the things that we can do is start testing the water ourselves."
FULL STATEMENT FROM NEW COOPERATIVE
"At NEW Cooperative, we believe the recent settlement with the Iowa Attorney General is a positive step toward final resolution of the accidental release at our Red Oak facility in March 2024.
From the start, we have fully cooperated with the authorities to mitigate the situation, while also taking responsibility for our role in the accident. As a part of the settlement, we will fund projects with the Montgomery County Conservation Board.
We have reached settlements with Iowa and Missouri, and we have entered into an agreement with the Natural Resource Trustees to evaluate and mitigate natural resource damage from the release. The U.S. Department of the Interior is coordinating this effort.
Founded by farmers with deep Iowa roots, NEW Cooperative wants our communities to know we remain dedicated to being good environmental stewards. We have a strong environmental record, and this incident remains the first – and only – time in the company’s 50-year history that our emergency environmental response procedures have needed to be activated."
