Iowa experts warn of water contamination

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Fremont area water utilities appear prepared to handle any contamination from a proposed Costco chicken plant, but water experts have urged residents not to let their guard down.

Costco is looking to create a slaughterhouse in Fremont and develop a regional poultry farming network to provide chicken to its stores. The retail giant has planned to contract with farms to raise around 17 million chickens at a time, the Omaha World-Herald (https://bit.ly/2jV8ZSN ) reported.

Project opponents have warned about possible water contamination, pointing to areas in other states with similar projects where chicken manure got into waterways, killing marine life and threatening businesses. In Iowa, Des Moines’ water utility is suing three northwest Iowa counties over high levels of nitrates coming from chemical farm fertilizers and livestock manure.

“I will tell you, you better be watching Nebraska’s waters,” Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe said. “There needs to be a principled look at balancing economic growth with environmental issues, because the water is precious. Turning the cycle backward … is very difficult in this political climate.”

Project supporter and Fremont City Administrator Brian Newton said the water quality will not suffer. He noted that unlike Des Moines’ surface water sources, Fremont’s ground water sources are less susceptible to manure runoff.

Costco project manager Lincoln Premium Poultry said the company will abide by Nebraska’s environmental laws and require its chicken farms to follow a “nutrient management plan.”

Fremont officials approved the chicken project in summer of 2016. The project is currently in the permitting process.

Alan Kolok, director of the Center for Environmental Health and Toxicology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said he will test area water sources this summer so he can create baseline data.

“Don’t fall asleep at the switch,” he said.

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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com