Tag: Fish Kills

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Dairy in northwest Iowa to pay $38K for fish kill, manure spill in July

Gary Dickson

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has ordered Roorda Dairy to pay over $38,000 due to a manure spill that killed over 107,000 fish in Mud Creek. The dairy must also submit its operating procedures for manure management for approval following an incident caused by a ruptured tile line during manure application. Continue reading Dairy in northwest Iowa to pay $38K for fish kill, manure spill in July

Commentary, EnvironmentLeave a comment

Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

Gary Dickson

The ice on Spirit Lake went out this year on March 3.

From 1944, when the record-keeping began, through 1981, the ice went out in the latter half of April about once every third or fourth year.  Since 2001, the ice has gone out in the latter half of April only once.

Looking at it another way, the ice cover on Spirt Lake has been decreasing in terms of how long it lasts each year for the past quarter-century or so.

The obvious conclusion is that the water temperatures in the Iowa Great Lakes are getting warmer, a result of ongoing global warming, which is part . . .
Continue reading Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

Agriculture, Environment, IowaLeave a comment

More than half of Iowa’s tested streams and lakes are ‘impaired’

Gary Dickson

There are at least 721 water body segments in Iowa that do not meet water quality standards for recreation, public water supplies and the protection of aquatic life, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR has drafted its latest list of “impaired” waters that it is required to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency every two years. The list is based on data collected by the department and numerous other entities between 2020 and 2022, and it is used to guide restrictions for stream pollution for Continue reading More than half of Iowa’s tested streams and lakes are ‘impaired’