Fish Kill Event - Dry Branch Creek
South of Ossian
- Event ID
- 604
- Date of Kill
- 5/2/2004
- Waterbody Type
- River/Stream
- Cause Origin
- Anthropogenic
- Cause
- Ammonia/Fertilizer
- Mode
- Spill
- Magnitude
- 5 (10,001 - 25,000 fish killed)
- Estimated Fish Killed
- 16,341
- Kill Length
- 1.25 miles
- Valuation
- $1,942.19
- Investigation Expenses
- $336.74
- County
- Winneshiek
- ESD Field Office
- FO 1
- Fisheries Office
- Decorah State Hatchery
- LongDD
- -91.79954
- LatDD
- 43.10556
- Created Date
- 5/4/2004 12:00:00 AM
- Last Update
- 2/21/2019 1:37:09 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.
A spill south of Ossian on Sunday evening sent approximately 1,250 gallons of fertilizer into Dry Branch Creek, killing over 16,000 fish. Farmer was traveling downhill on a gravel road around 5 p.m. when he lost control of his trailer. As he began swerving, the fertilizer nurse tank on the trailer burst. The tank spilled a mixture of approximately 1,000 gallons of 32 percent nitrogen fertilizer and 250 gallons of thiosulfate, a chemical enhancement for fertilizer, into the creek. Ohloff was not injured in the accident. A fish count on Monday found 16,340 dead fish including shiners, minnows, darters and dace, valued at $1,942.19. The kill extended over a mile and a quarter stretch of the creek. It appears to have been a total kill at the spill site, but only a partial kill downstream. Water quality remained good upstream of the spill and live fish were observed both upstream and downstream of the spill. The creek flows into the Turkey River approximately five miles south of the spill site. Hay bales were placed to filter water in the creek and approximately 50,000 to 60,000 gallons of contaminated water were pumped out of the stream and applied to land. Contaminated soil is being removed along the road and shoulders. “The farmer made a good effort to contain the spill,” said Tom McCarthy, environmental specialist with the DNR Manchester field office. “It’s important to act quickly in these types of situations.” Dairy cattle farmers downstream have been notified.