(Photo courtesy WHO-TV/ Jim & Christy Holloway)
State environmental experts are testing waterways, impacted by up 75-hundred gallons of milk, spilled from a tanker truck Sunday night.
It happened in Adair County, southwest of Des Moines. Spilled milk from the tanker reached the Middle Nodaway River.
Iowa DNR officials say oxygen levels in the stream drop as bacteria breaks down the milk. When milk concentrations are high, the resulting oxygen sag can kill fish and other aquatic organisms like crawdads and insect larvae.
The Wisconsin-based transport company had a vacuum truck on site Monday to recover pooled milk from the ditch, but high flows in the stream prevented recovery downstream.
The DNR says it’s unknown how much milk reached the river or how much remains in the tanker. DNR staff continues to investigate. Visibility in the tributary was limited Monday, so field staff will inspect the stream to determine effects on aquatic life.
The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action. The crash happened Sunday night at 7:15, the driver was not injured.
The Fontanelle and Greenfield fire departments, Adair County Sheriff’s office and the Adair/Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator responded to the accident Sunday night.