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Iowa DNR Locates Source Of Last Week’s Fish Kill Near Hull

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has identified the source of a fish kill on the southeast side of the Sioux County town of Hull. DNR staff from Spencer were dispatched to a small tributary of the West Branch of the Floyd River late last week and traced the problem upstream to the Hull Coop Association, where an employee had rinsed out chemicals Wednesday morning after spraying corn. The rinse water contained insecticide and fungicide and found its way into a storm sewer under Highway 18 and into the creek. Even though the chemicals were greatly diluted, they were still highly toxic to the fish. “With stream levels low and temperatures high, fish and other aquatic organisms are more likely to be stressed,” explained Ken Hessenius, Supervisor of the DNR’s Spencer office. “I would urge everyone to be careful so that chemicals and other pollutants don’t reach streams,” he said. The DNR fisheries staff estimate about 3,600 fish, mostly minnows, chubs and darters, were killed along about 4,200 feet of the stream. The DNR will be seeking appropriate enforcement action, including fish restitution.

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