Fish Kill Event - South Branch Lizard Creek and Lizard Creek
Fort Dodge. Confluence of Lizard Creek and Des Moines River, upstream to source on South Branch of Lizard Creek
- Event ID
- 1069
- Date of Kill
- 4/14/2025
- Waterbody Type
- River/Stream
- Cause Origin
- Anthropogenic
- Cause
- Ammonia/Fertilizer
- Mode
- N/A
- Magnitude
- 7 (50,001 - 100,000 fish killed)
- Estimated Fish Killed
- 71,933
- Kill Length
- 15.26 miles
- Valuation
- $73,819.11
- Investigation Expenses
- $1,803.13
- County
- Webster
- ESD Field Office
- FO 2
- Fisheries Office
- Black Hawk Lake Office
- LongDD
- -94.20314
- LatDD
- 42.51191
- Created Date
- 4/22/2025 11:49:41 AM
- Last Update
- 4/22/2025 12:11:05 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 April 14, the DNR Field Office in Mason City received a call from CJ Bio America in Fort Dodge regarding a leak at their facility. A fertilizer byproduct created in the process of making lysine had emptied into a stormwater channel on the east side of the plant.
Plant staff believed the byproduct was contained, but later discovered a breach in the berm of the storm water channel. An unknown amount of the byproduct flowed from the breach into surface intakes in an adjacent field, which outlets to the South Branch of Lizard Creek.
DNR field staff responded to the incident, and upon arrival observed the byproduct in the South Branch of Lizard Creek several miles downstream from the plant. Dead fish were also observed in the creek for several miles.
SPECIES NUMBER KILLED MONETARY VALUE
Minnows, shiners, dace, chub
Lizard Creek 8,587 $1,030.44
South Branch of Lizard Creek 54,645 $6,557.40
Suckers
Lizard Creek 453 $3,701.08
South Branch of Lizard Creek 4,532 $24,701.74
Darters
Lizard Creek 153 $33.49
South Branch of Lizard Creek 1,068 $1,010.29
Carpsuckers
Lizard Creek 6 $5.04
South Branch of Lizard Creek 29 $5.80
Madtom/Stonecat
Lizard Creek 6 $3.00
South Branch of Lizard Creek 87 $43.50
Rock Bass
Lizard Creek 0 $0.00
South Branch of Lizard Creek 1,372 $20,580.00
Green Sunfish
Lizard Creek 6 $8.04
South Branch of Lizard Creek 35 $32.50
Northern Pike
Lizard Creek 6 $90.00
South Branch of Lizard Creek 31 $465.00
Smallmouth Bass
Lizard Creek 96 $1,440.00
South Branch of Lizard Creek 821 $14,111.78
Total: Lizard Creek 9,313 $6,311.09
Total: South Branch of Lizard Creek 62,620 $67,508.02
Grand Total: 71,933 $73,819.11
Investigation Costs:
Salaries with 13.24% overhead: $1,598.11
Mileage: 306 mi @ $0.67/mi $205.02
Investigation Costs Total: $1,803.13
Kill Total – (Fish Value + Investigation Costs) = $75,622.24