Fish Kill Event - East Nishnabotna River
NEW Cooperative, Red Oak
- Event ID
- 1045
- Date of Kill
- 3/11/2024
- Waterbody Type
- River/Stream
- Cause Origin
- Anthropogenic
- Cause
- Ammonia/Fertilizer
- Mode
- Spill
- Magnitude
- 9 (500,001 - 999,999 fish killed)
- Estimated Fish Killed
- 749,242
- Kill Length
- 49.80 miles
- Valuation
- $225,992.82
- Investigation Expenses
- $3,510.29
- County
- Montgomery
- ESD Field Office
- FO 4
- Fisheries Office
- Cold Springs State Park
- LongDD
- -95.24207
- LatDD
- 41.01668
- Created Date
- 3/28/2024 3:54:20 PM
- Last Update
- 3/29/2024 2:24:08 PM
Highlighted river segments indicate those impacted in part or whole by this fish kill event. It is not meant to represent the actual extent of the kill.
On March 11, NEW Cooperative, Inc. in Red Oak notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of a release occurring on-site. A valve to a fertilizer storage tank was left on over the weekend of March 9th and 10th. Approximately 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen flowed over a graveled parking area into a storm water drainage ditch which enters the East Nishnabotna River.
Upon learning of the release, DNR staff from the Environmental Field Office worked with the NEW Cooperative staff to stop the release and began cleanup efforts. DNR Fisheries staff began investigating the impacts to the Nishnabotna River.
DNR Fisheries staff documented the fish kill occurring in all 49.8 miles of the East Nishnabotna and Nishnabotna Rivers downstream of the spill. The kill continued in Missouri’s portion of the Nishnabotna River and ended near the confluence with the Missouri River.
The fish kill count as of March 28th is below. Investigations of the release’s impact to other aquatic life are ongoing.
| Species | Number of Fish |
| Minnow Shiner Dace Chub | 707,871 |
| Suckers | 1,542 |
| Goldeye | 201 |
| Common Carp | 9,255 |
| Carpsucker | 14,500 |
| Buffalo | 4 |
| Sauger | 199 |
| Channel Catfish | 7,681 |
| Flathead Catfish | 264 |
| Green Sunfish | 935 |
| Silver Carp | 67 |
| Largemouth Bass | 69 |
| Grass Carp, diploid | 6,654 |
| Total | 749,242 |
Cleanup efforts at the NEW Cooperative facility are ongoing. Contaminated soils continue to be removed from the facility and from around a levee west of the facility. The contaminated soils will be land applied at approved locations, at agronomic rates consistent with Iowa law. Additionally, NEW Cooperative is pumping water from the east side of the levee. The pumped water will be stored in on-site holding tanks until land application can occur. A third-party consultant is collecting samples of the water-fertilizer mixture to determine accurate land application rates.