JERICO – Wednesday, DNR staff from Manchester investigated a small hog manure spill near Jerico that reached a tributary of Crane Creek.
The spill of several hundred gallons occurred Oct. 31 when a hose ruptured during land application. The commercial manure applicator from Reicks View Farms immediately shut off pumps, then parked the tractor on top of the hose.
“It looked like a textbook spill response,” said Chris Gelner, DNR inspector. “Reicks’ applicator quickly dammed the tributary at two spots and began pumping contaminated water into manure tanks to prevent it from moving downstream.”
The spill was limited to a small section of stream with very low flow and there was no evidence of a fish kill. Reicks removed five tank loads of 7,000 gallons each of contaminated water and land applied them.
The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.