DOWS, Iowa (AP) - Officials are investigating a liquid manure spill in northern Iowa involving hundreds of gallons.
The state Department of Natural Resources estimates between 500 and 1,000 gallons of liquid manure spilled Monday afternoon from an Iowa Select Farms facility near Dows.
Officials say employees were draining manure storage pits when a line plugged. The manure ran out of a port in the drain line and flowed under the snow to a tile inlet. That discharged into a drainage ditch that flows to the Iowa River.
The DNR says most of the manure was captured above a beaver dam in the drainage ditch. Elevated levels of ammonia were reported near the dam. Ice has prevented officials from testing the river.
Iowa Select Farms did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.
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