Otter Creek regaining health after spill
Officials of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say Otter Creek, scene of a massive fish kill following a hog manure spill last month, is showing signs of regaining its health.
Fish biologist Bill Kalishek said he walked part of the stream Tuesday, Oct. 20, and spotted live minnows and darters.
Authorities say Anders Knudsen, of Saint Ansgar, pumped 25,000 gallons of waste from a hog nursery building to a nearby field. The manure then ran over the field and into Otter Creek, causing a fish kill along almost four miles of stream about a half mile south of the Minnesota state line.
Kalishek said the natural resources department estimates about 151,000 fish were killed by the high levels of ammonia in the water.
DNR official Jeff Vansteenburg says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the incident.
