ANDREW – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has identified a small beef open feedlot as the source of a 3.5-mile- long fish kill investigated Sept. 9 in Upper Brush Creek, a trout stream north of Andrew in Jackson County.
The DNR traced the pollutant to the 200-head Justin Clasen Feedlot, out of Bellevue, where high ammonia levels were flowing into an unnamed tributary of the creek. Clasen immediately stopped the discharge when DNR contacted him.
Recently received laboratory results verified ammonia levels of 1,500 parts per million entering the tributary.
DNR fisheries staff assessed the creek from about 200th to 216th Street and found mostly dead minnows, suckers, chubs and dace. Stone rollers, suckers, largemouth bass and rainbow trout added to the total of 17,522 fish killed.
The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action and may seek fish restitution for fish loss and investigation costs of $4,044.
The fish kill was discovered during an attempt to stock trout in the stream on Sept. 9.