DNR's botched factory farm inspection results in avoidable manure spill

DNR Could Have Prevented Factory Farm Manure Spill Near Keosauqua in Van Buren County

Factory farm with a repeated history of violations was inspected by the DNR on August 20, weeks before November 4 manure spill occurred, but state regulators ignored all the warning signs and incorrectly concluded the factory farm did not need a Clean Water Act permit

A factory farm in Van Buren county owned and operated by the out-of-state corporation Maschhoff Pork spilled thousands of gallons of toxic manure into a tributary of the Des Moines River on November 4. The spill occurred just a few weeks after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) signed off on a Clean Water Act inspection required under a new work plan agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and incorrectly concluded that the facility was not at risk of pollution and did not require an operating permit under the new guidelines.

The incident shows the DNR is already mishandling their required inspections under the new work plan agreement with the EPA. This is the second manure spill at the site since 2011 alone. Much of the land surrounding the facility is highly erodible, and the fields behind the factory farm are steeply sloped and run straight into a tributary of the Des Moines River. In addition, the operation uses an outdated and dangerous form of manure storage known as an open-air pit lagoon system that is heavily reliant on automated equipment and is ripe for failures and breakdowns. These factors significantly raise the likelihood that this factory farm will discharge again. The DNR appeared to have blatantly ignored these factors when they performed a Clean Water Act inspection at this site on August 20, when they incorrectly determined the factory farm was not discharging and therefore did not need a new Clean Water Act permit.

“It’s as plain as the nose on my face, the DNR could have prevented this spill from happening when they inspected this factory farm weeks ago, but they turned a blind eye to the obvious rather than cracking down and demanding Maschhoff Pork start playing by stronger rules,” -Garry Klicker, an independent family farmer, small business-owner, and long-time Iowa CCI member from Bloomfield, IA