Authorities in Iowa have reported a worrisome event involving the discharge of hazardous materials in a river to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Liquid nitrogen fertilizer produced by NEW Cooperative in Red Oak. has leaked into the East Nishnabotna River.
Over the weekend of March 11, a storage tank’s open valve triggered a fertilizer leak.
According to the DNR, the local fish population was devastated after a substantial volume of liquid nitrogen fertilizer was inadvertently spilled. More than 744,476 fish have perished in a fifty-mile section of the river.
Outdoor plants, vegetables, and fruit trees thrive when fertilized with liquid nitrogen. However, unintended and unforeseen effects on fish and other aquatic species should be considered.
This fertilizer accident is among the most environmentally disastrous chemical disasters in the area, devastating the aquatic life in the region.
Fertilizer has been sucked into a vacuum truck and will be sprayed on land at a later time, according to the DNR’s press release.
This fertilizer leak is being called “the big one” by Matt Combes, a scientific supervisor from Missouri.
In an interview with The New York Times, he described the incident as shocking and disheartening, adding that 60 miles of the river had almost no fish.
Environmental Specialist Brent Martens said that by week’s end, the fertilizer had begun to diminish, but by then, the harm had already been done.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urges riverside Iowans to contact their regional health departments to schedule chemical testing of their private wells.
According to the DNR, the field test findings indicate a decrease in ammonia levels in the river.
The Department of Natural Resources has warned severely against swimming in the river or eating any dead fish found there.
The director of the Iowa Environmental Council’s water program, Alicia Vasto, hopes that this will make people more aware of the problem with Iowa’s rivers.
