ASHTON – Thursday morning a complaint about a manure discharge led DNR investigators to a leaking aboveground storage tank about 1.5 miles northeast of Ashton in Osceola County.
DNR staff found a trickle of manure running about 100 yards before entering Kappes Creek, a tributary of Otter Creek. Ammonia levels are elevated near the entry point, but DNR specialists did not see any dead or dying fish in the creek. Field tests show no ammonia levels a half mile downstream.
Cooperative Credit Company of Ashton, owner of the 4,400-head hog confinement, is working to locate equipment to dam up the discharge and keep it from reaching the creek.
It’s unclear when the leakage started or how much manure has been lost.
The DNR will continue to monitor the situation and cleanup activities.
The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.