Fish Kill Event - Unnamed Tributary to West Branch Sugar Creek
Houghton
- Event ID
- 1075
- Date of Kill
- 6/26/2026
- Waterbody Type
- River/Stream
- Cause Origin
- Anthropogenic
- Cause
- Ammonia/Fertilizer
- Mode
- Discharge
- Magnitude
- 3 (1001 - 5000 fish killed)
- Estimated Fish Killed
- 1,792
- Kill Length
- 3.70 miles
- Valuation
- $177.22
- Investigation Expenses
- $694.85
- County
- Lee
- ESD Field Office
- FO 6
- Fisheries Office
- Lake Darling State Park
- LongDD
- -91.60880
- LatDD
- 40.78130
- Created Date
- 7/24/2026 12:20:58 PM
- Last Update
- 7/24/2026 1:44:21 PM
Impacted Assessment Segments
No segments listed
Onsite Comments
The fish kill originated from Chem Gro of Houghton Inc., Houghton, IA 52631. Dead fish were observed along 6,598 yards of West Branch Sugar Creek beginning at an unnamed tributary to Unnamed Tributary to West Branch Sugar Creek (40.7813, -91.6088) and ending at (40.7470, -91.5814) Unnamed Tributary to West Branch Sugar Creek just downstream of 145th street. The cause of the kill was from discharge of anhydrous ammonia rinsed from tanks. The fish killed included: 36 suckers, 35 stonerollers, 40 bullhead, 11 green sunfish, 1,346 fathead minnows, and 324 unidentified minnows (minnows, shiner, dace, chub).